


Raised a Malfoy

by ever3tt



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bi, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, BoyxBoy, Developing Friendships, Drarry, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay, HarryPotter - Freeform, M/M, Masturbation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Quidditch, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Slytherin Harry Potter, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, Weed, a bit of pansyxharry while harry figures out his sexuality, dracomalfoy - Freeform, harry is still friends with ron and hermione, harryxdraco - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2020-05-30 22:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 58,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19412452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ever3tt/pseuds/ever3tt
Summary: You all know the original tale. Well I'm introducing a twist;)It's September first and Harry Potter, age 11, stands alone amongst a crowd of unfamiliar faces at kings cross train station.Then, amidst all the other bustling people and their rattling trolleys Harry spots him. The boy from the robe shop, along with a couple who must be his parents. They give off an aura of wealth and power. The boy had not been very modest in Diagon Alley, in fact he'd been quite rude, but at this point Harry didn't care. Fighting not to lose sight of the pale faced boy Harry rushed to meet them."Pardon me but could you show me to platform 9 and 3/4?"-x-Essentially a 'what if' Harry had met the Malfoy's opposed to the Weasley's. A friends to lovers fanfiction (slowburn)





	1. Ch. 1

First Year

Today was the day her little boy was going off to school. Narcissa told herself she would see him at Christmas and that the holiday break wasn't far off. Only four months, she'd only have to spend four months alone at the Manor. Of course there was Lucius, but Draco would be miles away, and it just wouldn't be the same.

At least he's not going to Durmstrang, she told herself. Narcissa had barely convinced her husband not to send their son off to such a wretched, fowl, and not to mention far, place. She glanced down at Draco and shuddered. No, that most certainly was not the place for her sweet boy. He didn't need anymore coldness in his life.

Narcissa urged him to hurry so they wouldn't miss the train. They weren't far from the barrier now.

-x-

Harry stood alone in a crowd of unfamiliar faces at the train station.

He checked the golden ticket Hagrid had given him once again. It hadn't changed since the last time he'd looked, which had been minutes ago. Only what he saw still didn't add up. The ticket told him he should be waiting at a platform 9 and 3/4. Craning his neck Harry spotted a platform 9 and a platform 10, however nothing in between.

Maybe Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were playing a cruel joke, he wouldn't put it past them. But what about Diagon Alley? That couldn't have been made up. Beginning to wallow in despair Harry began to feel as though he were fading into the whirl of conversations going on around him.

"Next platform over Grace-"

"Don't forget to tell your aunt we say hello-"

"No John I don't have the estimated value for the next quarter-"

"Come, Draco dearest, we must get you to the platform before the train departs. The Hogwarts Express isn't waiting for anyone."

Harry froze. Hold on...could that be? Harry spun in a circle trying to find the speaker.

That's when he saw them. He picked them out from the crowd easily. They stood out among others in the train station with their white blonde hair and sharpe features. They looked impossibly regal in dark sleek clothes, not a single hair out of place. They walked with their noses up, the young boy pushed his trolley before him and his parents followed close behind. Harry's eyes landed on the owl and trunk the boys trolley carried and his hope soared.

Rushing up to them Harry was out of breath when he reached the small group. "Pardon me but could you show me to platform 9 and 3/4?"

-x-

The young boy appeared out of the trains billowing steam so suddenly that Narcissa barely managed to catch the handle of Draco's trolley before it hit him. Time froze around Narcissa Malfoy at the sight of the bespectacled child. It couldn't be, but it was.

Before them stood Harry Potter. The jagged scar, that just as legend whispered, appearing in the form of a lighting bolt beneath his rumpled black hair confirmed it. This boy's name was known by every witch and wizard there was. This boy with his tattered clothes and crooked glasses was as legendary as Albus Dumbledore himself, and for something he likely didn't even remember. He had brought the downfall of perhaps the most wicked wizard in all of history. And here he stood before her, asking for help.

Narcissa quickly gathered her wits and smiled warmly at him, even while her insides were squirming. Barely capable of seeing straight from anxiety she said, "Yes, of course, come along, darling."

-x-

It was him, the boy from the robe shop. Draco could see behind his mothers soft smile and caring words, he could see her panic. Draco glanced at his father and saw the panic in his eyes as well. He kept his mouth shut, not wanting to disturb his parents train of thought as they steered their trolleys through the thick gaggle of muggles who parted for the group, backing away from the other boys hooting snow white owl.

"You first Draco, wait for us on the other side," his mother told him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. He observed his parents, gone was the look of shock, replaced by steady calculation. Nodding, he followed his mothers instructions and leaned into his trolley.

It was the anticipation that made him most anxious as he walked straight at the seemingly solid wall that would lead him to platform 9 and 3/4, not what lay beyond it. Draco told himself he wasn't anxious about a year spent away from home. He wasn't anxious about the sorting, or his housemates, the classes, or the teachers.

The next thing he knew he was bursting out through the barrier and staring at the gleaming Hogwarts Express. He couldn't help but be impressed. His attention was dragged away from the gleaming scarlet train when his Father clapped a hand across his back.

"We'll see you at Christmas, Draco." His Father shook his hand.

"Yes, you'll want to get a good compartment before they're all taken." His Mother nodded. He hugged her and was about to turn away with his trolley when he noticed that Harry was still just awkwardly standing there.

"You're the boy from the robe shop." It wasn't a question.

Harry bit his lower lip. "Yeah."

He hesitated a moment before asking. "Do you want to sit with me on the train?"

Harry seemed hesitant as well. It took him a moment to reply. "Sure."

Draco gave his parents one last glance before steering his trolley towards the train, Harry close behind. When they were close enough to board the train the two boys took their trunks from the trolleys and hauled them through the length of the train until they reached an empty compartment. Harry helped Draco lift his into the overhead shelves. When both were stowed away they looked each other over.

"My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter."

Draco snorted. "Well I know that."

"Along with everyone else it seems, " Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Draco thought his tone sounded bitter. "Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?"

Draco watched Harry carefully. The other boy sat down across from Draco and sighed. "Everyone seems to think I'm some...hero."

Amused, Draco raised an eyebrow and sat down. "You don't think you are?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't even remember what happened."

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"I was a baby." He felt like Harry was looking for an excuse. Or perhaps not an excuse but answers.

"You're older now."

"So?"

Draco sat forward. "You'll be even more powerful now."

Harry fidgeted with the long sleeves of his shirt. "You think?"

"I know." Draco sits back. It was then that the train whistle rang out and they started to chug forward. He searched for something else to say. "So which house do you think you'll be in?"

Harry frowned, clearly confused. "House?"

Draco wasn't sure what there was to be confused about. "Well, yeah, at Hogwarts."

The other boys frown deepened. "I don't know what you mean."

"Didn't your parents..." he was about to say 'tell you about wizarding education.' He didn't finish his thought, because of course they hadn't. The Potters were a long time dead now. "Oh right."

Harry voiced Draco's thoughts. "They're dead." So were Harry's eyes. The other boy was looking away from him now and out the window. They were flying through the country.

"So who do you live with?" Draco asked.

"My Aunt and Uncle."

"Are they magic?"

Harry scoffed. "No."

So none of his living relatives were magical. "How did you find out about Hogwarts then?"

"Dumbledore sent-"

"Of course. So you have no idea about houses...or just magic at all?" Draco was shocked. Magic was such a tremendous and important part of his life, he couldn't imagine not knowing about it. Harry just shrugged his shoulders. Draco couldn't believe it. The famous Harry Potter didn't know anything at all about himself or the world he was from.

"Would you like to?" Draco offered. Harry's eyes left the rolling fields and turned to him. He nodded. "There are four of them. Four houses. In your first year you get sorted. You stay in that house for your seven years of schooling. In a way your house is like your team. You can win and lose points, you're tight with them, it's where you make all your closest friends." Draco knew he was rambling, probably not making much sense, the way Harry's piercing green eyes watched him made him nervous. "But anyway, the four houses, they all stand for certain values-"

"What do you mean sorted?" Harry looked anxious.

"Huh?"

"Do I have to do a test?"

"Father says they just put a hat on your head-"

Harry pulled a face, disbelieving of what Draco was telling him. "How's a hat meant to tell me what house I'm in?"

"It looks it your head-" He was interrupted yet again.

"It's going to read my mind?!" Harry demanded with wide eyes, he ran a hand through his messy black hair. Draco wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

Reigning his thoughts in he began to reply, "In a way-"

"How can a hat read my mind?"

"Magic of course. Now if you'd stop interrupting me for even a minute..." he was feeling annoyed but he relaxed when Harry nodded. "Okay so each house stands for a certain value. Ravenclaw is wisdom, Hufflepuff is loyalty, Gryffindor is bravery, and Slytherin, which I'm going to be in, is for ambition."

"How do you know which house you'll be in already?"

"My whole family has been in Slytherin. Which do you think you'll be in?"

"I don't know."

"Hopefully Slytherin. Then we can be housemates." Draco grinned at him. "It would make sense if you were. Slytherins are destined for greatness. You killed the darkest wizard of all time when you were a baby. Imagine what you're capable of now!"

Harry nodded. That made sense. And besides, wisdom? Courage? Harry didn't feel like he had much of either of those qualities. "Yeah, sounds alright."

Draco beamed and held out his hand. "So it's decided then. From Slytherin, together, we'll rise to greatness. Friends?"

Harry laughed because he really hadn't expected to be making friends so fast. Giddiness swelled in his chest. He promptly shook Draco's hand. Harry's hand was warm. Draco thought his fingers were long and narrow compared to the other boys. They looked into each other's eyes. Draco was taken back by just how green Harry's were.

Just then a girl with frizzy brown hair threw the compartment door open. She was already in her robes. "Have either of you seen a toad?"

Harry thought that was a rather odd opener. "Why are you looking for one?"

"Because a boy named Neville seems to have lost- hold on! You're Harry Potter! I've read all about you. I'm Hermione Granger."

"Oh. Well it's nice to meet you but I haven't seen a toad."

Hermione sighed and started to leave. "It's alright. Thanks anyway-"

"Granger." Draco repeated the girls name. "That's not a wizards name I've heard before. Who are your parents?"

"You wouldn't know them. They're dentists." Hermione puffed out her chest but at the same time her voice shrank.

"Muggles then?" Harry heard Draco's condescending tone. The tension in the compartment thickened.

"Like my Aunt and Uncle," Harry quickly added, smiling at Hermione. Draco automatically fell silent.

"Is that who you live with?" Hermione asked curiously. "I really am sorry about your parents by the way. I couldn't find very many good books on what happened that night and of course my parents can't tell me. It must be awful."

"I don't really remember them." Harry shrugged.

"All the same. I can't imagine growing up without my Mum and Dad. Anyway, let someone know if you do spot a toad." She gave him a small smile.

He returned it. "Will do."

"See you."

"Bye."

Once she'd closed the compartment door Draco looked over at Harry. "You shouldn't talk to wizards and witches like her." Draco muttered, a sour look twisting his features.

"Why not? She seemed nice."

"She's a mudblood."

"A what?" Harry was starting to feel tired of not knowing so much.

"She has dirty blood. Her parents aren't magic," Draco explained to him.

"My Mother's parents weren't either," Harry said.

Draco seemed to not know how to respond to that and he shifted in his seat. "Oh."

"I don't think you should say stuff like that about people. Or call them rude names."

"I didn't know. About your mother I mean." On the inside Draco was beating himself up. He'd never had many friends growing up. Surely he couldn't mess this up so early on.

"That doesn't matter. It doesn't make saying it alright."

"I know." Draco muttered.

"So why did you say it?" Draco only shrugged. "Don't do it anymore, okay? People won't want to hang out with us."

Draco stared at Harry. "Us". Draco felt so relieved. Harry still wanted to be his friends. He nodded. The compartment door crashed open for a second time and for a moment Draco thought Hermione had returned. However, this time a small crowd of students came in.

"Mind if we join you?" A girl with glossy black hair up at the front of the group asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Well there's plenty of room here," Harry said.

Recognition passed over the girls face. "You're Harry Potter. Mother said she thought it was about time you started your education. My name's Pansy Parkinson. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Harry felt flustered. "Nice to meet you too."

"This is Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle by the way." The two boys behind her nodded to Harry.

"Good to see you Draco." The one named Vincent grunted. Draco nodded back to him.

"You know him?" Pansy turned to the boys behind her. "Well why didn't you say so?" Neither of them answered her. She turned back to Harry and Draco. The latter introduced himself.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

"It's good to meet you," Pansy said. Gregory helped her with her trunk. Once the others had heaved their luggage into the overhead shelves they settled into the remaining empty seats. Pansy, who sat beside Harry, asked, "Are you all expecting to make it into Slytherin?"

Harry looked over to Draco who smiled. "That's the plan." Crabbe and Goyle nodded as well.

"Splendid! It's good to know some people before actually getting there."

The five of them talked about things like classes and what their parents had told them about Hogwarts for most of the remainder of the ride. Harry felt a little left out because he didn't know much about magic or the wizarding world. He was grateful for Draco, who did his best to patiently fill in the gaps. Pansy, upon realising Harry's situation, giggled. "Oh Harry! It's okay. We'll help you out."

And that seemed to be that.


	2. Ch. 2

First Year

Whispers followed him as he made his way up to the front of the Great Hall so that McGonagall could place the sorting hat on his head. Crabbe, Goyle, Draco and Pansy had all already been sorted into Slytherin. Now it was his turn.

"Ahhh, Harry Potter, I wondered when I might be seeing you. But where should you be placed? Courage indeed. A fresh mind as well. Lots of talent. Oh. Oh, yes, you've got such a strong thirst for greatness. You know where I'll put you? SLYTHERIN!"

Harry bemed as McGonagall removed the hat from his head. The Slytherin table had erupted from their seats, cheers echoed through the Great Hall as Harry joined his housemates.

After the feast an older student had led them to the Slytherin dormitory. The way down Harry saw an assortment of strange things. The paintings that hung on the castle walls moved and talked to him, he walked through a ghost more than once and everyone seemed to be staring at him when he'd pass. The Slytherin dormitory was incredible. It was a long underground room with a low ceiling. The walls were made of rough stone and it seemed to be located beneath the lake as there were glass walls at the end that held back water. Harry pushed his face up against the glass and saw what looked like a giant squid swim by when he squinted through the murky water.

Green lanterns hung from the ceiling on thin silver chains, they lit the room with a greenish hue. The room might have seemed cold and unwelcoming if it weren't for the crackling fire beneath an intricately designed mantelpiece and the plush furniture. On one side of the room there was a dark wooden table that appeared to be long enough for a great many students to sit at. Bookshelves lined the walls and Harry had the urge to go over and run his fingers along the spines. Harry thought it looked positively magical.

-x-

The next morning Harry, Pansy and Draco were eating breakfast together when the sound of owls swooping into the Great Hall came from the rafters to drop off mail. Draco only just managed to not ask why Harry hadn't been sent anything. He barely remembered that Harry didn't have anyone to send him anything so the two of them shared the box of fudge brownies from his mother

"Harry you looked charming in your robes," said Pansy out of nowhere. "The tie really brings out your eyes."

Harry choked on the scone he'd been chewing. "Thanks Pansy," he said, red faced.

"She has a point you know," Draco smirked and Harry blushed a deeper crimson.

"Shut up Malfoy."

Getting an idea Draco swiped Harry's glasses off his face and shoved them up his own nose. "Shut up, Malfoy," he mimicked.

Harry made a sound like a growl at the back of his throat. "I can't see you soding asshat. Give them back." Pansy had started laughing hard and heads at the Slytherin table started turning to look at what was so funny. "Draco!" Harry's eyes were unfocused and Draco was laughing hard now too.

"Merlin's beard Harry! You're eyesight really is awful."

"Really? I had no idea" Harry muttered sarcastically as he fumbled forward. Draco moved to stand but Harry's hand shot out and grabbed at his wrist. "Give me my glasses back or I'll pour all your hair gel down the drain," Harry threatened.

Draco froze. "You wouldn't."

"I would."

Sitting back down on the bench Draco took Harry's glasses off and handed them over. "You're no fun," he moped.

"Oh yeah? I'd like to see how fun you are when you're blind."

"Oh shut up you two." Pansy sipped at her tea and tossed her curtain of long black hair over her shoulder. "You bicker like an old married couple."

-x-

Later on that week Harry and Draco were partnered up in Potions.

Harry flipped his textbook open to the page Draco had his open at. "So what are we making?"

"If you'd been listening you'd know."

"Well I wasn't."

"And why's that?"

Harry rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands. "Snape started talking about something useless in a monotone voice and I found it an effort to keep my eyes open much less pay attention."

"Well that 'something useless' was our assignment."

Harry sighed. "But I'm meant to be your partner."

Draco snorted. "A pretty useless one it seems."

"I'd be more helpful if you'd at least tell me what we're doing."

"We're making a hiccoughing potion," Draco told him, running his finger down a list of ingredients in his textbook. Harry studied his face. Draco was bitting his lower pale pink lip in concentration. Before Harry could look away Draco glanced over at him with those steely grey eyes.

"You want to be helpful?" Draco's eyebrows were raised. "Go get these ingredients." Draco shoved the textbook into Harry's arms. "I'll set up the cauldron."

"Prick," Harry mumbled under his breath but did as he was told. When Harry got back to the table he pushed all the ingredients in front of Draco. "Your Highness."

"Thanks." Draco seemed to miss the sarcastic undertone in Harry's voice he was so focused with the task at hand.

"Whatever. Why would you want a potion that makes you hiccough?"

Draco shook his head as he went to work, cutting up and shredding ingredients. "You don't. It makes you stop hiccuping you idiot."

Draco had started stirring when Harry muttered, "How are we even supposed to know if it works?"

"Snape says we get to test it at the end of the class." Draco seemed genuinely encompassed and interested in this. The other boys definitely had more motivation academically, particularly in potions, than Harry felt he himself had.

Harry yawned wide. "Joy."

-x-

"How the bloody hell did you manage to convince a couple sth years to loan you their broom."

"Sixth years actually. To be honest I just asked."

Draco chuckled warmly. "Only you, Potter."

They were well into their classes by now and fall wind danced through their hair and rippled through their clothes. They were out on the Quidditch grounds at lunch with a pair of broomsticks, sneaking around trying not to get caught since technically first years weren't supposed to ride broomsticks outside of classes.

Once they were mostly hidden behind the greenhouses, Harry mounted his broomstick. He hadn't actually had a class yet since his first one had been cancelled due to rain. Draco however hadn't stopped talking about Quidditch and riding a broom and Harry figured he had the general gist of it. He managed to kick off the ground well enough, as did Draco seconds later. Harry's stomach flipped around at first as he adjusted to the new sensation of not having his feet planted to the ground. It wasn't long before excitement washed away his nerves and he pulled the front of his broom up to go higher.

"Harry! Think fast!" Draco hollered, throwing an apple he'd pulled out from his pocket into the air. It went over the green house . Harry sailed after it, leaning on the broom to increase his speed. To his shock and satisfaction he caught the apple. However he pulled up short when he realised he was in plain view of everyone on the grounds. He quickly retreated behind the greenhouse. "Malfoy, you dumbass! People definitely saw me!"

"You know you aren't half bad Potter-"

"Not half bad?" Harry nearly fell off his broom at the sound of a new, deep voice from behind them on the ground. "That was fabulous." Harry looked down to see a rough looking older boy with dark hair and a crooked nose (like he'd been punched there before) peering up at them, shading his glinting black beady eyes from the sunlight. "You're Potter. Figures you're good on a broom. The name's Marcus Flint. I'm the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team."

"Hi?" Would Flint rag on them for using brooms?

"Have you flown a broom before?"

Harry shook his head hesitantly. Marcus stared at him a heartbeat longer, seeming to consider him. "You," he pointed at Malfoy. "Come down here and give me your broom. Potter, throw down that apple." Draco looked confused, and a bit ticked off to be told what to do but obliged. Soon Marcus was hovering a few feet away from him. "Go long okay?" The older boy ordered more than asked.

Great so now we're playing fetch. Harry internally signed but didn't have much time to think because Marcus had pitched the apple and it was descending quickly. Harry raced after it, but the apple was dropping too fast. Acting before he thought about whether or not what he was doing was a good idea Harry pushed his broom into a dive, steep enough to snatch the apple before it hit the ground. He just managed to pull the broom back up before face planting into the dirt. 

"Nice one!" Flint hollered, his voice was raspy in his throat. "Throw it back." Harry did, because as it turned out he didn't mind this sort of catch that resulted in adrenaline pumping through his veins. What with the wind in his hair, tears streaming out of the corners of his eyes he went so fast, his heart hammering in his chest and making him feel more alive than ever before.

For the rest of lunch Flint would throw the apple and Harry would race after it and bring it back. It was Flint who tired first. "Merlin's hairy balls Potter how are you still going? My arm is aching." But the other boy was giving him an appreciative look. "Do you know much about quidditch Potter?"

"I know a bit."

"You know what a seeker is?"

Harry vaguely remembered hearing Draco mention them. "It's a position in Quidditch, right? Chase something called a snitch? A little gold ball or something?"

Flint grunted. "That's right." The older boy sucked on his cheek as he surveyed Harry. "Would you have any interest in playing for Slytherin?" Harry grinned so wide he thought his face might crack open.

-x-

The first time Harry experienced Draco’s tendency to spend money on lavish gifts ike it was no big deal was soon after the rumours about Harry dueling Terence, Slytherin’s current seeker, for his spot on their houses Quidditch team. 

“What’s this?” Harry asked, just having come into the dormitory after spending hours writing an essay for Transfigurations. There was a long parcel, wrapped in brown paper laying on his four poster bed. 

“What does it look like, idiot?”

“Is it from… did you get it for me?” Harry felt quite speechless as he tore away the brown paper to reveal the latest and highly coveted magical items in Hogwarts, a Nimbus 2000. “Draco, you didn’t?’

“Stop being so dramatic. You have to ride something for games don’t you?”

Harry supposed that was true but was still taken back by the ease at which Draco had shelled out so much money for a broom for him. 

-x-

It was the long stretch before the Holiday Break when the teachers were all assigning work. Draco, Pansy and Harry had managed to snag a plush sofa by the fire to do their homework. At least that's what Draco was doing. Harry and Pansy lay sprawled out on the same sofa (their legs together and heads at opposite ends), basking in the warmth radiating out from the flickering flames. He was watching Draco do his work, gnawing on his lip, eyes narrowed in concentration. What little light lit the room reflected off Draco's blond hair and was absorbed by his pale skin. Harry found himself wanting to paint it or take a picture. But he wasn't good at art and he didn't have a camera so he was trying to commit the details to memory.

Pansy tapped his leg with her foot and he jumped. "Helloooo! Harryyy! Stop staring."

His head snapped over to look at Pansy. "I'm not staring."

"Sure, you're not," she said, smirking, as she twirled her quill in her fingers.

"I'm not-"

"I don't actually care." She waved her hand at him, dismissively. "Are you going to listen to me?"

He frowned and tilted his head. "What?"

"I was just wondering what your plans were for Christmas."

Harry was about to open his mouth to say he was probably just staying at Hogwarts when Draco, without looking up from his paper, answered for him. "He's coming home to the Manor with me."

Harry's brows furrowed. "Since when?"

"I wrote to my mother."

"And when were you going to tell me?"

Draco shrugged. "Would you rather stay here?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?" It annoyed Harry that Draco wouldn't look him in the eye.

"It's not-"

"Good. Then don't make it one."

Pansy snorted and Harry shook his head, lips pressed together tightly. "Thanks Malfoy I'm honoured," he scoffed.

"Anytime Potter." A small smirk tipped up the corner of Draco's mouth. "And you should be."

"Can we help you?" Pansy demanded. Harry looked up and saw that her question was directed at a dark skinned boy Harry knew as Blaise Zabini. They shared a dorm but the other boy was pretty quiet. Actually, Harry realized, Blaise was reasonably outgoing. It was himself and Draco who kept to themselves.

"I was wondering if any of you had studied for tomorrow's herbology test?" The boy asked, bracing himself with his hands and leaning against the sofa he and Pansy were slumped in.

Pansy swore colourfully. "That's tomorrow?"

"Yikes, I forgot as well," Harry confessed.

"If you want, I can share my notes?" Blaise offered. "We could go over them and quiz each other?"

Harry nodded and glanced over in Draco's direction. His face was twisted up into a sour expression. Harry wanted to ask what was wrong but not with Blaise still around.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver." Pansy smiled up at him.

Blaise shrugged. "Sure, I'll be back in a minute."

When he was gone he turned to face Draco again. "Draco, why don't we talk to him and the other boys?" Draco finally looked up from his work.

"I don't think we ever decided that. I think it just happened."

"I think we should talk to them more."

"Why?" Draco sounded miffed.

"Why not?" Harry retorted.

"Fine Potter. I don't really care." What had his panties in a twist? Harry wondered to himself. He made eye contact with Pansy who mouthed, tell you later.

"You ready?" Blaise was back. Harry smiled and forced a laugh, trying to make up for Draco's sullenness. "Probably not."

-x-

Around what was probably an hour later the common room was mostly empty. Pansy had thrown her legs over Harry's. He had protested at first but she had won in the end.

"You suck Parkinson," He sighed, letting his head fall back against the arm of the sofa. "Honestly Blaise, thank you. I might pass now." He said, yawning.

"You should go to sleep." Draco gave him a pointed look.

Harry stuck his tongue out at Draco. "Yes, mother."

"He's right," Blaise said, agreeing with Draco, yawning as well. "We won't do well if we don't get enough sleep and are exhausted when we're writing the test."

Draco gave him an appreciative look. Harry was glad the two had eventually warmed up to each other.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Draco started to pack up.

"I'm right behind you," Harry called out.

"Whatever Potter." But the sullenness from earlier was gone and Harry wondered if he was imagining the affection in Draco's tone.

"I'm heading up as well," said Blaise.

"Thanks again mate."

"Anytime."

Once it was just him and Pansy he asked the question that had been nagging him at the back of his mind all night. "So what was up with Draco? Why was he acting so weird, he seemed a bit better at the end there but still."

Pansy stared at him. "You really have no idea?"

"No? Should I?"

"I thought it was obvious." She sighed and sat up. "You're like his best mate, Harry. I think he's worried you might ditch him for someone else."

"That's silly. I'd never do that." Draco didn't actually think that did he?

"Is it silly, Harry? You're famous. You could hang out with the seventh years if you wanted to."

"But I don't. You guys are my friends," Harry said insistently.

She smiled at him. "Make sure Draco knows that. Of course it's fine for you to make new friends. Just remember your old ones."

"I'm not going anywhere Pansy."


	3. Ch. 3

“Draco, what if they don’t like me?”

“Then they don’t like you.”

“That isn’t reassuring.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t aware that I was playing the role of supportive, coddling boyfriend.”

Harry stopped packing long enough to glare at the other boy. “I’m actually serious. What if they decide they don’t want you to be friends with me anymore?”

Draco let out a heavy sigh and dropped the sweater he’d been folding into his trunk to turn and face Harry. “And why, do enlighten me, would they decide that?” 

Harry’s brow creased as he rubbed the back of his neck and winced. “Because I’m not pureblood? Because I’m not top of the class like you? I don’t know there are so many reasons.”

Draco took a step closer to Harry and reached out a hand to grip his shoulder. Normally Draco didn’t do physical contact so Harry understood the weight behind the moments Draco consciously reached out. Over the last few months as he and Harry had gotten closer Draco had realised that touch grounded Harry, who hadn’t gotten very much touch as a child either. 

“Harry, my parents already like you because you’re Harry sodding Potter and everyone likes you. In addition, as much as I hate to admit it, Granger from Gryffindor has better grades than me in most classes.”

“Barely,” Harry huffed.

“Yeah, but still.” Draco shrugged and went back to packing his trunk. “ It’s fine. You’re a Quidditch prodigy, right? Youngest seeker in a century? That has to count for something. I swear it’ll be fine. My parents aren’t monsters.”

-x-

Malfoy Manor was beautiful in the winter. Then, Harry had never seen it at any other time of the year, he was sure it looked just as incredible no matter the season. Harry stared wide eyed at the way the snow coated the manor. It was an old building with arches and spires and balcony railings. He loved the old architecture. Loved walking among the snow dusted shrubs and trees in the sprawling gardens. 

“Can we go back in now?” Draco grumbled from a few feet behind him. 

Harry turned to face his best mate. “You don’t even know how good you have it, do you?”

Draco huffed. “Freezing my ass off so Harry bloody Potter can trudge around in the snow in my backyard. Yeah, I have it real cushy.” 

Harry rolled his eyes at Draco’s theatrics. “What my Aunt and Uncle wouldn’t do to live here.”

“If you come back inside with me now I’ll get Dobby to make us treacle tart,” Draco said, stamping his feet to try and warm them up. 

This got Harry’s attention. “Who’s Dobby?”

“Our house elf.”

Now Harry was really intrigued. “Your what now?”

Draco smirked. “Come on and you’ll see.”

-x-

“You boys have fun outside?” Mrs Malfoy asks, peering around the doorway of the sitting room, when they come in. 

“You have a beautiful property, Mrs Malfoy,” Harry says, slipping off his trainers. 

“Thank you, Harry. That’s sweet of you to say.”

“I was just going to get Dobby to make us some treacle tart,” Draco told his mother, hanging his coat. 

“Sounds lovely dear- Hold on, Harry?”

Feeling his stomach drop to his feet, Harry turns to Mrs Malfoy. “Yeah?”

“Do you not have winter boots?’

Harry looks down at his soaking wet trainers. His socks are damp and he can hardly feel his frozen toes. He wiggles them around a bit, trying to regain sensation. Harry knows he appears rather shabby, that his clothing must look very old and worn, especially in a place like Malfoy Manor. He doesn’t know what to say so he keeps his eyes averted and shakes his head.  
Mrs Malfoy gazes at him, perplexed before a look of determination settles across her features. “It’s alright, darling, we’ll get that taken care of. As soon as Dobby is done with the treacle tart we’ll send him to buy you some.” Harry tried to protest but Mrs Malfoy wouldn’t hear it. 

The first encounter Harry has with Dobby he almost wets his pants. Draco had just finished showing Harry the rest of the manor when they walked into a fourth living room (“Draco, under what circumstances is having four bloody living rooms necessary?”), this one had green, silver and earth toned colour scheme. 

“Hello, sirs,” said an unnaturally high voice from behind them. Harry let out a strangled noise and grabbed Draco’s arm as he whirled around. 

“Oh, do calm down, Potter. It’s only Dobby,” Draco said, pulling his arm out of Harry’s grasp. Harry stared down at the creature staring up at him. Dobby was three feet tall with massive, floppy ears and disconcertingly large round green eyes. He also appeared to be wearing a rag of sorts.

“Harry Potter?” If it was possible, Dobby’s eyes seemed to widen even further. “How long I have wanted to make your acquaintance.”

“Yes, that’s all fine and well,” Draco said. “Dobby, make us some treacle tart and tell us when you’re done. When you are find me mother. She wants you to buy Harry some winter boots.”

“Right away, of course, young Mister Malfoy sir.”

“Come on, Harry, let’s go,” Draco said, turning and walking away from the house elf.

Harry gave Dobby a pressed lip smile. “Thanks Dobby.”

The house elf looked just about to burst into tears at Harry’s gratitude and bounded away with renewed enthusiasm as it was. What a peculiar creature, Harry thought as he followed Draco. 

-x-

Harry and Draco ended up in a gigantic library playing wizard's chest when Dobby appeared instantaneously before them to give them the treacle tart. The creature seemed to really want to talk to Harry but Draco dismissed him and the house elf left them alone to continue playing until dinner when he appeared in the same way, shocking Harry and making him start hard enough to jostle the game board and upset the pieces. (“How the hell do you get used to that?” he asked Draco, feeling rattled. Draco had only shrugged. “Dobby’s been around my whole life. I never had to get used to it, it was just kind of normal I guess.”)

Dinner was a semi awkward affair. The actual meal portion, the eating, was all fine and well. After however, was a slightly different matter. 

“Harry, dear, you don’t have to do that,” Mrs Malfoy said.

Harry shook his head and continued to help clear the dishes. “I really don’t mind.”

“We have a house elf to do this kind of work,” Mr Malfoy told him. 

“It really isn’t a problem Mr Malfoy. Usually I do all the chores for my Aunt and Uncle so this is really no big deal.” 

The Malfoy’s shared a puzzled look but didn’t try to argue with him any further on the matter. Over the rest of the winter break Harry ended up managing to corral a very unwilling and stubborn Draco into helping Dobby prepare a few of their meals. 

“It’s good life skills, to know how to make a meal.”

Draco repeated what Harry said, mocking him, in a high and whiny voice. 

“Real mature, Malfoy.”

“'Real mature, Malfoy.'” Seeming to not be able to help himself Draco tacked on, “And no actually I will never need to know how to manually make meals. This is servants work. I am a Malfoy.”

“Oh get down off your high horse you big wuss. It’s not like I have you shucking corn or peeling potatoes. Your only stirring soup in a pot and making cheese plates.”

“All of which Dobby can handle by himself,” Draco retorted grumpily. 

-x-

Harry had never been anything like the annual Malfoy Christmas Party before. He’d finally accepted the point to having four living rooms as the entire house was full of witches and wizards. Draco must have noticed Harry’s hesitancy with the crowd because he’d pulled Harry back up to his room to talk for a bit. 

“My mother and father will expect me to make some rounds and talk to people since we’re hosting but if you want I can do it fast and then excuse myself and we could, I don’t know, play some wizards chest?” 

Harry was incredibly touched by Draco’s offer but worried that the Malfoy’s wouldn’t appreciate him stealing their son for the evening with so many important witches and wizards around. He shook his head. “That’s alright. Let’s go back down. I was just taken back.”

“If you’re sure.”

The night ended up being great fun because they had a few cups of eggnog, as they were making their rounds and talking to all the guests who’d come to the party, before they realised it contained alcohol. At this point they wandered up to Draco’s room to crash because they were feeling a mixture of tipsy and sleepy. 

“I’ve never been drunk before,” Harry confessed. “Actually I’ve never had any alcohol before.”

“You aren’t drunk,” Draco said, laughing harder than Harry thought his comment warranted. 

“How do you know?’

“Trust me,” Draco insisted. “You would know.”

“Are you excited for tomorrow?” Harry asked. 

“For what?”

Harry buttoned up the shirt to the pair of silk green pyjamas Draco was lending him. “Christmas of course.”

Draco snorted. “Just wait.”

The morning of Christmas Harry’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at the sight of the living room closest to the bedrooms. There were presents stacked and covering nearly every surface. 

“This is insane.”

Draco only shrugged. “Shall we?”

“What?”

“Get started. If we start now we should finish before dinner, usually when it’s just me it takes me into tomorrow.”

“Aren’t we going to wait for your parents?”

“My father’s probably in his study and my mother’s probably in her sitting room. They don’t really do Christmas. Usually if we want something we just get it, instead of waiting for one day.” Harry wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Want some more eggnog? Last night was a lot more fun with it.” Draco left the room and came back with two glasses, the eggnog and a bottle of pure malt whiskey. They spent the morning slowly getting tipsy, busting into fits of laughter while they opened all the gifts. 

“Here, take these,” Draco said, tossing an unwrapped box at Harry. He looked down and saw that it was a set of very expensive looking quills.  
“Are you sure, these look like they cost a lot.”

Draco waved a hand. “I have plenty of quills already, Potter.”

“Oooo!” Harry exclaimed and held up a thick cloak. It was emerald green with silver trim. “This is rather posh.”

“Keep it.”

“Is there anything you’re excited to get?” Harry asked him when they were almost done and Draco still hadn’t shown a sliver of happiness about a single gift. 

“It sounds stupid, but none of it really means anything. It’s all just items that can easily be replaced.”

“Should I have not gotten you something then?” 

Draco looked up at him, cheeks pink from the whiskey in the eggnog. “What?”

“I mean, I think you’ll like it-”

Draco wobbled to his feet. “Potter, stop talking. You got me a gift?”

“Yeah, I’ll go grab it.” Harry went down the hall and rifled around under the bed in the guest room he’d been sleeping in. Clutching the long parcel he tried to keep his balance as he entered the living room and stepped around presents and gift wrap. 

“But I didn’t get you anything,” Draco mumbled as he stared in awe at the parcel Harry handed to him. 

“Don’t think about it that way.” Harry poured himself a little more eggnog and whiskey. As disorienting as it was having almost no depth perception or balance anymore the alcohol filled him with a bubbly warmth. 

Draco tore off the wrapping. “You got me a Nimbus2000?”

“Yeah, now we can practice together.” Harry sat with his anxiety that Draco wouldn’t like it as the other boy only continued to stare at the broom, saying nothing. 

“But first years aren’t allowed to own brooms at Hogwarts.”

“We’ll get away with it,” Harry said, nudging Draco with his shoulder. “After all I’m Harry bloody Potter, right?”

Draco smiled warmly at him and wrapped his arms around Harry. “Thank you,” he mumbled into Harry’s shoulder. Harry clung to Draco. “Of course. You’re my best mate, you know that?” 

“I think I’ve had too much whiskey,” Draco giggled, sitting back. 

“I think we both have.”

“My head is spinning.” Draco leaned back completely and lay down on the floor. He grunted and pulled a shoddy looking gift, at least compared to the others they'd so far unwrapped, out from under his head. “What’s this, it’s got you name on it Harry?”

Harry took the gift, confused. Unwrapping it he unfurled a cloak. A note fluttered to the ground. Harry picked it up but all it said, in looping cursive, was 'use it well'.

“Who sent it?” Draco asked. 

“Dunno. Who’d send me a cloak?”

“Well, try it on then?”

Harry made a show of draping the cloak around his shoulders. It wasn’t a particularly impressive thing compared to the silver and green cloak Draco had told Harry he could keep which is why he was puzzled by Draco’s reaction. The boy sat up fast, mouth hanging open. “What the bloody hell! That’s an invisibility cloak!”

Harry peered down and sure enough his torso was gone. Or not gone, just invisible. Harry looked up, hoping Draco would have an explanation. 

“It’s got to be a sketchy fake,” Draco insisted. 

“Opposed to what?”

“A real one. Those are really rare.” Harry supposed Draco would know best on a matter such as this. 

“Still it’s pretty cool.”

Draco lay back down. “Imagine all the things we can do now that we have that, until the spell wears off, of course.”

Harry chuckled and leaned back against the rug. Close enough that his leg touched Draco’s. He liked that the other boy didn’t pull away. It was probably just because of the whiskey, Harry reasoned. 

-x-

Saying goodbye to her boys at the station was incredibly hard for Narcissa. Harder than saying goodbye at the start of the school year because now she had two boys to say goodbye to. Harry had somehow wormed his way into her heart. He was a sarcastic, charming young man and she liked the way he made Draco loosen up a bit. The memory of walking in on them curled up together in their silk pyjamas and wrapped in cloaks and surrounded by christmas gifts came to the forefront of her mind. She’d spotted the eggnog and whiskey sitting, mostly empty, on one of her good wooden tables with no coatsters but had found that she wasn’t upset because the sight of her little boy so comfortable with another person made her, as a mother, happier than she’d thought it would. 

She kissed them both on the forehead and hugged them tight. “Study hard, but not too hard. Don’t forget to have fun, but not too much. Stay on your teachers good sides and-”

“Yes, we know mother,” Draco started to pull his trunk from the trolley to get it onto the waiting Hogwarts express. Narcissa didn’t mean to embarrass him in front of Harry, she’d just miss him so much and didn’t want to let him go even though she knew she had to. 

“I really just wanted to thank you Mrs Malfoy for letting me stay over for Christmas,” Harry said, turning to face her.

Narcissa stared down at the eleven year old boy, with his ridiculous round glasses and whirlwind shock black hair. “Oh, Harry, you’re welcome at the manor anytime, alright?” She pulled him in for another hug. “See you boys!”

She watched as they hauled their trunks up into the train as they disappeared out of her line of sight. Little did she know that she would be seeing them sooner than expected. 

-x-

Narcissa stormed down the halls of Hogwarts, memories of her own days as a student in these halls flooded back to her. However, she didn’t let herself focus on them as her priorities were elsewhere. 

She spotted Dumbledore standing at the end of the hall, outside the doors of the infirmary with a young girl with long balck hair who looked to be around Harry and Draco’s age. 

“Dumbledore,” she addressed the old withered man. “What in Merlin’s name is going on. Where are my boys?”

“You must be Mrs Malfoy,” the young girl smiled up at her. “I’m Pansy Parkinson.” Ah, yes, Narcissa recognised Mauricius and Laurel Parkinson’s features mixed together in the girls face. 

Narcissa looked away from the girl and back to Dumbledore. “Where are they. I demand to see them at once.”

“Narcissa, I assure you that Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy are perfectly-”

Pansy cut Dumbledore off, speaking over him. “Did you know they bested a giant chess set, Harry flew a broom to catch a flying key, Draco knew which potions not to drink oh! Harry also defeated the Dark Lord! He passed out though. Draco and I had to go back before that though because there wasn’t enough potion for all of us and now Harry is in the hospital wing-”  
“They’re what?!” Narcissa exclaimed. “The Dark Lord is back?!”

“Narcissa,” Dumbledore tried to address her again, “he is not back however-”

“He drank unicorn blood, we saw in the forest, enough to stay rooted in this world-” The Parkinson girl was rambling and Narcissa didn’t know what to make of half of what she was saying. 

“Get out of my way, both of you!” She pushed past and shoved open the infirmary doors. Before her she saw Harry in an infirmary bed, his head against a pillow. He looked pale and there were bandages on his head but he was awake and laughing at something Draco was saying. Draco, who sat beside Harry’s bed. Something that had been roaring in Narcissa’s chest settled at the sight of her two boys together and alright. She knew that as long as they were together they’d be okay. The friendship they seemed to have formed was one Narcissa wished she’d had as a girl. 

Dumbledore came in behind her. “I want to take Harry home this summer. We know he lives with his emotionally abusive Aunt and Uncle. They make him live under their staircase, Dumbledore.”

“I can’t permit that,” Dumbldore told her, sounding sympathetic.

“It’s not right.”

“It’s for his own good.” Narcissa watched her boys laughing. “Surely you want what’s best for Harry.”

“Of course-”

“Then he has to go back to his Aunt and Uncle.” With that Dumbledore walked away. 

-x-

After their end of year incident Harry, Draco and Pansy had grown closer with one another than ever. There are some things you do that just strengthen friendships and it can’t be helped. 

“You promise to write to us over the summer?” Pansy said to Harry as they disembarked the Hogwarts Express at the station. 

“I promise, Pansy.” Harry shares a look with Draco, this is about the third time they’re having this conversation. 

“Oh leave him alone,” Draco says, helping Harry with his trunk.

“Says you,” Pansy says, rolling her eyes. “You wouldn’t leave his side even after he was allowed to leave the infirmary. ‘Harry, let me help you with that’, ‘Do you need me to feed you, Harry’, ‘Help you piss, Harry-’” 

“Go bugger yourself,” Draco said, looking away from them.

“Bye, guys! See you next year, Pansy!” Blaise calls to them as he passes.

“Have a good summer,” Pansy replied.

“He’s totally sweet on you,” Harry told her, laughing. 

“He is not!” She squealed.

“Bye guys,” Draco said, eyes averted, walking away. 

“What’s up with him?” Harry frowned. 

“The day Draco isn’t unnecessarily extra will be the day I kiss Blaise’s arse.”


	4. Ch. 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> annoyed because i can't figure out how to keep the italics i applied to certain sentences when i write the chapters in google docs -_-   
> also sorry for spelling mistakes i wrote this on an 11 hour plane ride and i'm currently running on an hour of sleep aha

Second Year

“Where’s Harry?” his mother asked, looking around the platform. “I want to say hello before you all get on the Hogwarts Express and I don’t see you until Christmas.”

“He better not be late. The train won’t wait for him.” Pansy stood on her tiptoes, trying to find him.

“There he is,” Draco said, having just spotted him. Harry was standing alone on the platform with his trolley loaded with Hedwig and his trunk. Draco watched as Pansy ran and tackled `their friend. Harry stumbled and nearly toppled over but somehow managed to stay upright. He hugged Pansy back. 

“You barely wrote to me all summer!” Draco heard Pansy exclaim as he got closer with his mother. 

“Sorry, my Aunt and Uncle made me lock up Hedwig,” Harry said apologetically. 

“Are you serious?! They’re ridiculous.”

“Tell me about it.” Harry spotted Draco over Pansy’s shoulder and a smile broke out across his face. Draco smirked back but wasn’t prepared for the tight hug Harry gave him. He flushed but hugged Harry in return. 

“How was your summer?’ He asks Harry when they stepped apart.

“Just dandy,” Harry replied, rolling his eyes. “Must of the summer I was up in my room pretending I didn’t exist. Yourself?”

“We went to our place in Italy for most of July, visited a cousin in Monaco, couple weeks in Spain, few days in Poland-” 

“Stop bragging, Draco, try having some humility for once,” his mother interrupted him. “Harry, believe me I wanted to take you but Dumbledore, stubborn old man, wouldn’t allow it.”

“Why not?” Pansy demanded. “How could Dumbledore be alright with Harry staying with his Aunt and Uncle but not be okay with Harry spending the summer with you?”

“We’re not the best people in Dumbledore’s eyes,” his mother admits. “He likely would prefer that Harry didn’t spend any time with us at all.”

“That’s not his choice,” Harry balks. Draco watches Harry’s features go from upset to happy in a matter of seconds as he sees Blaise walking towards their group. Jealousy twisted in his gut when Blaise got the same hug he had. 

The train released a warning whistle and they hurried their goodbyes with his mother (“See you boys at christmas!”) to board the train and get a compartment. The only one that was empty enough to fit them all was the one with Theodore Nott, a Slytherin boy in their year, who was sprawled out on one of the seats, his legs up and back against the window wall. 

“Mind if we join you, Theodore?” Harry inquired.

“Be my guest,” Theodore said, sitting up and making more room for them, gesturing to the space around him. “And call me Theo, or Nott. Only my mother, bless her heart, calls me Theodore.”

“Are you high, Theodore?” Pansy licked her lips and raised her eyebrows, giving him an unimpressed look. Draco noticed she’d completely ignored his comment about not calling him Theodore.

“So what if I am?” challenged the weedy boy, bringing the joint to his lips again.

Pansy wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Where do you even get it?”

“My older cousin. He visited my old man and me last week.”

Pansy shook her head, her chin high as she refused to look at Theo. “What did you do this summer, Blaise?”

Harry and Draco shared an amused look. Both of them thought Blaise’s crush on Pansy was obvious but Pansy denied it. 

“Hey, Zabini,” Theo interrupted. “Is that your mother?”

Harry leaned to see out the window. Theo was pointing at a rather beautiful woman with smooth dark skin and deep brown hair that fell in tight curls around her face. She was tall and willowy with small breasts and an hourglass figure. She rich blue robes that fell from her shoulders and hung from her frame in glittering swafts of fabric.

Blaise nodded. “That’s her.”

“Bloody hell, mate,” Harry said, eyes wide as he gawked. “She’s something else.”

“Don’t be a pig,” Draco said. His stomach roiled unpleasantly, seeing Harry openly stare at her like that. “She’s way too old for you.”

“And also my mother?” Blaise scoffed. 

“Is she married?” Theo asked, running a hand through his disorderly dirty blond hair. 

“Are you bloody joking?” Pansy looked at him, clearly revolted. Harry cackled and Draco rolled his eyes at his friends idea of humour. 

“I’d fuck her,” Theo grinned, making Harry crack up harder so he leaned into Draco’s shoulder. Part of Draco wanted to push him away for being so crude but another part liked having Harry pressed up against his side, found the pressure reassuring. 

“You’re all nasty.” Blaise mimed vomiting. “Anyway, I wouldn’t recommend getting with her. I’d say the only one with any hope is Harry.”

The noise level in the compartment got even louder as Theo and Harry guffawed and Pansy demanded an explanation. The sick feeling returned to Draco’s stomach. 

“Just because her preference in men is kinda influenced by how many Galleons he’s got in his gringott vault and Harry, even though you dress like you’re homeless we all know you’re loaded.”

This drew more laughter out of them all. “I do not dress like I’m homeless!” Harry said adamantly. 

“You totally do,” Draco smirked. Harry elbowed him playfully. 

“It’s not my fault my Aunt and Uncle hate my guts and only give me my cousin’s hand me downs.”

“At least this makes gift buying for you easy,” Pansy said.

Draco chuckled. “I know what I’m getting you for Christmas this year.”

The rest of their ride to Hogwarts continued in pretty much the same way. Draco imagined Theo would be a new addition to their friend group this year. He didn’t mind, the kid was funny. Draco just wished he could be the one to make Harry laugh like that. 

-x-

“What the fuck?’ Theo demanded as they exited their first Defence against the dark arts lesson. 

“My father will hear about this,” Draco declared. 

Harry was trying to figure out if this was some sort of joke. “Who in their right mind decided Gilderoy Lockhart should be a Professor?’

“I am not calling that man Professor,” Theo assured them. “Not a chance. He can’t even handle cornish pixies.”

“Are you talking about Lockhart?” Draco turned to see Ron, a boy with red hair and Hermione, they were both Gryffindors. 

“Yeah,” Harry said to them from beside him. He’d had a few conversations with them both before but nothing too lengthy. He’d played wizards chess with Ron before with Harry and studied last year with Hermione a bit. They were both clever. “We’re not going to learn a single thing from him.”

“He’s such a slimy git,” said Ron. 

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, hesitantly. “Have you read his books? He seems awfully smart in them.”

“He’s not bad to look at either,” said Pansy, giggling. “His hair looks like it would be so soft to run your hands through.”

“That’s not his job though, is it? To have soft hair and smile?” Blaise frowned. “His job is to teach us.”

They continued bickering about Lockharts teaching qualifications until they reached the landing where the Gryffindor’s would go up the stairway to their dormitory and the Slytherin’s would go down. “Hey Harry,” Ron said. Draco watched his friend turn to face the redhead. “You’re playing Ravenclaw in a couple weeks, right?”

Harry grinned. “Yeah, we are.”

“Good luck, mate. It was stellar watching you play last year.”

“Thanks. Hopefully we win this year.”

“Nah, Gryffindor’s gonna own your ass.” 

Draco rolled his eyes at the banter and tried to quench the jealousy he was feeling from the way Harry was smiling and joking with the Gryffindors. Usually it was Draco who was on the receiving end of most of Harry’s attention and it annoyed him how much he didn’t like watching other people get it. 

As they continued their walk to the Slytherin dorms Harry and Draco fell behind the other three. Harry was smirking and running a hand through his hair when he tensed up all of a sudden and froze in his tracks. Draco stopped with him. 

“What is it, Potter?”

“Do you hear that?”

Draco strained to hear whatever Harry was talking about but heard nothing out of the ordinary. “Hear what?”

“That voice.” 

Draco’s face twisted in puzzlement. “Blaise babbling to Pansy up ahead?”

“No, listen, that voice.”

“There’s no voice, Potter.” Draco felt on edge. “Are you trying to mess with me?”

“Merlin, no, Draco. It’s like it’s in the walls.”

Draco rolled his eyes and kept walking down the hall. “Right, yep, you’re right, Potter. I definitely hear the voice in the walls.” When Draco didn’t hear Harry’s footsteps behind him he turned back around. “Harry let’s go.”

But Harry started back down the way they’d come. Draco pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed a sigh before chasing after his apparently mad best friend. They retraced their steps the way they came until Harry made a turn down a corridor on the second floor. The corridor was full of water, from an unused girls bathroom, Draco realised. Not looking where he was going, Draco walked into Harry. He was about to give Harry an earful for stopping so suddenly when he looked up and saw why. On the wall in a dripping red substance that looked an awful lot like blood, a message was written : "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE. '' But what was even more terrifying was Mrs Norris, who looked like she was dead, was hanging by her tail from a torch bracket.

Then footsteps started to echo down the hall. Everyone was going down to the great hall for the Halloween great feast. He wanted to pull Harry away so no one would see them at the scene of the crime but it was too late. Kids were already starting to round the corner. 

“What have you done to my cat?!” Both boys jerked around to see Filch who looked about ready to skin them alive. “You’ve killed her! You’ve killed my cat!”

Students and teachers were gathering, staring at them, whispering and pointing at the message on the wall behind them. 

“PREFECTS LEAD EVERYONE TO THEIR DORMITORY!” Dumblesore’s booming voice echoed. 

Harry turned to their Headmaster. “It wasn’t me, Sir, I swear.”

“He killed her! He killed Mrs Norris!” Filch sobbed, fat tears streaming down his ruddy red cheeks. 

Dumbleore stepped forward to look at the cat. “She is not dead Argus, but petrified. This is dark magic, darker than anything a second year student could manage. Professor Sprout?”  
The shabbily dressed herbology teacher steps forward. “I believe you and your second year classes are growing mandrakes?”

“That’s right, they’re still very young though.”  
“When they mature they will be able to unpetrify Mrs Norris, Argus. She’ll be back to her full health,” Dumbledore reassured the caretaker. 

“Be that as it is. Who did this? I want to see punishment.”

“We will be looking into that. Of course.”

“What’s the chamber of secrets, Sir?” Draco asked. 

Dumbledore fixed Draco with a hard look. “When Hogwarts was created there were fours founders, the namesakes of the four houses. Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students they taught at Hogwarts. He believed that only all magic wizards and witches, in other words purebloods, should be allowed to study magic. The other founders of Hogwarts disagreed. Unable to persuade his co-founders Salazar left the school. Before leaving however it was believed that he’d built a hidden chamber, the chamber of secrets. Before he left the school he sealed it off. It is said that only his true heir can open it and unleash the horrors, the beast within, that would purge Hogwarts of those unworthy, in Salazar’s view of studying magic.”

Draco’s face twisted into astonishment and disbelief. “What, so now this true heir is back and has unsealed the chamber?” 

“We have no facts yet. Only writing on a wall and a petrified cat.” 

“You said yourself that petrification is dark magic.”

“Indeed.’

“Who could perform that, and why?”

“That is the question isn’t it?’ Dumbledore answered Draco with a question. Draco hated when people did that.

-x-

The air was crisp and the sun was nice, it was a fine day for Quidditch. He watched from above as his teammates roughed up Ravenclaw and scored again. The stands screamed and rumbled thunderously loud. Even from here, so high up, Harry could see his friends. They were all decked out. Even Draco had face paint on. Slytherin was ahead by two scores but Harry knew that could change at any moment. Just then he spotted something gleaming out of the corner of his eye. Without thinking Harry swooped after the snitch. He lived for the thrill that ran through him when he next to free fell, with nothing supporting him but his broom. Wind whistled through his hair, pushing it back from his face as he dove. They were right up next to the stand, down near the base and nearing the ground fast. He knew Ravenclaws seeker was following him, gaining speed. He could also hear Lee Jordan making announcements to the crowd, but ignored the words. 

The snitch changed direction just as Harry was about to grab it and he grit his teeth in frustration as it shot up toward the sky. Harry pulled the front of his broom up to gain height and followed in pursuit even though he lost some of his speed. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ravenclaws seeker just barely avoid crashing into the stands. He shot after the snitch, it whistled through the air, twisting around the players, Harry wove between them, trying to catch the little golden ball. 

With no warning the snitch stopped in mid air and just as Harry’s fingers slide around it a player in green slammed into him. Both of them tumbled to the ground. 

-x-

Harry was falling and Draco was moving. He watched transfixed, running down the stairs, skipping steps to get to Harry faster. But no matter how fast Draco moved Harry was falling faster. Another player, a Slytherin, was falling with Harry. He watched in horror as Harry’s body hit the earth and went limp, the other player fell on top of him. Far away Draco could hear yelling but Draco was focused on getting to Harry. When he did he shoved Adrien Pucey, one of Slytherin’s chasers off Harry’s unmoving body. 

Other people were crowding around them now, helping Pucey to his feet. Draco looked around for someone who could help but the only teacher present was Lockhart.   
“I know just the spell that will help him!” Lockhart declared. 

“I’m not letting you anywhere near him you lunatic,” Draco spat, holding Harry close to him, shielding him from Lockhart protectively. 

“Malfoy isn’t it?” Lockart asked. “Malfoy, surely, as a teacher at Hogwarts you’d trust me to assist-”

“I bloody wouldn’t trust you with keeping a pygmy puff alive let alone helping my best friend, you incompetent baffoon!” Arms reached out toward Harry and Draco was ready to scream bloody murder when he realised it was Pansy and relaxed a fraction. “You have to help me get him to the infirmary,” Draco begged Pansy, panic rising up in him. 

“It’s alright,” Pansy said in a soothing voice, resting a hand on Draco’s shoulder. “Madam Hooch is coming now.” Sure enough when Draco glanced up Madam Hooch was standing over them. She knelt down next to Harry, across from Draco. 

“Come now, Mister Malfoy, let’s get him to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey will be able to help him.” 

Draco wouldn’t let Harry be taken out of his eyesight even once he was settled in a bed and Madam Pomfrey reassured him Harry would be fine. He was reminded of the end of First Year when Harry had been brought in after defeating the Dark Lord and Draco had spent hours sitting with him until he’d woken up. Now they were back in the infirmary and Harry was unconscious again, Draco in a chair at his bedside. That’s where he fell asleep. 

When he woke up Harry wasn’t in bed. Panic swelled in Draco’s gut but settled back down when he saw Harry standing in the middle of the room. 

“It’s that voice again?” Harry whispered.

“Huh?” Draco grunted, groggy from sleep. 

“I can hear it.”

Draco let his head fall back down against the bed. “Pomfrey needs to check your head, Potter. You definitely hit it. There are no voices in the walls.” All of a sudden Harry was vaulting back into the bed over Draco’s head. “Wha?”

“Shhh!” Harry hushed him aggressively and squeezed his eyes shut. Not two seconds later the infirmary doors burst open and a the sound of numerous pairs of scuffling feet could be heard. Draco kept his head down but his eyes open, Harry peeked open an eye and they shared a look of confusion. 

“But what does this mean, Albus?” asked Minerva McGonagall. 

“Put him here,” said Pomfrey in a worried voice. “What happened?” 

“It’s another attack,” Dumbledore answered. “He’s been petrified.” Draco’s heart stopped in his chest and Harry’s eyes widened. Who? Who’d been petrified?

“Like Filch’s cat?” Pomfrey seemed surprised. 

“Perhaps he managed to take a picture of his attacker,” suggested McGonagall. Creevey. That annoying slime ball of a kid who’d been annoying Harry all year trying to take his photo. Who else had a camera at Hogwarts?

Harry and Draco waited in silence as the sounds of someone taking the camera from Creevey and opening it filled the room. Then came the sound of a small explosion. No photo than, Draco assumed. 

“What does this mean?” Pomfrey asked. 

“That the students are in grave danger,” came the old man's reply. Draco barely resisted the urge to turn around and stand to see Creevey. He wanted to see what was freaking out the old crackpots. How scary could a petrified eleven year old be to put so much fear in Albus Dumbledore’s voice. 

“What should I tell the staff?”

“Well, the truth. Tell them that Hogwarts is no longer safe. It is as we feared, the chamber of secrets has been reopened.”

-x-

Harry and Draco sat at the Slytherin table the next morning whispering between each other. 

“Can you ask your father?” Harry asked Draco. 

“Of course I can. I’ll send him an owl this afternoon- Theo what the fuck is that?” Draco demanded. Peeking out the top of Theo’s robe sleeve was the head of a snake. 

“A snake,” Theo answered, reaching for a piece of toast with his other hand. 

“Well bugger me backwards, I can see that! Why do you have it up your robes?”

“My cousin gave him to me this summer, only I couldn’t tell my dad. He’d be so angry if he knew. So I had to take him to Hogwarts with me.”

“Theodore, you know we aren’t allowed snakes!” Pansy hissed. “Cats, owls rats and toads. That’s it.” She shuddered. “Though I don’t see why you’d want either of the last two. That red headed boy from Gryffindor, the Weasley’s got a rat and Neville’s got a toad. They’re both hideous. The pets and their owners.” Pansy shook her head. “Anyway, the point is, snakes aren’t allowed.”

“Well what am I supposed to do with it?” Theo asked. “Let it go on the grounds?”

“Blimey, as if I know!”

“You have to get rid of it,” Draco insisted, backing up Pansy.

“Fine, fine, I will I just have to- Bloody hell! Get back here, Cupcake!” 

Draco watched, frozen, as the snake uncurled itself from Theo’s arm and slid to the floor faster than Draco would have imagined possible. “Get it back, Nott!” Draco fumed through gritted teeth. But the snake, Cupcake, was already halfway down the great hall, slithering between the tables. Draco was about to turn to tell Theo to do something when the snake halted in front of a redheaded first year. Just as the snake reared up Harry stiffened beside him and sprung to his feet. Draco was about to follow when Harry started to hiss. But it wasn’t like anything Draco had ever heard before. The moment the hissing, strangled sounds started to leave Harry’s mouth the snake stopped in its track and turned to face Harry, hissing back to him. A thought came the the forefront of Draco’s mind that made his blood run cold. Parselmouth. Someone who could talk to snakes. Draco watched, transfixed as it sounded like Harry was egging on the snake. Before anything else could happen, Dumbledore stepped forward and uttered a spell that made the snake writhe and then shrivel up until it was an empty snakes skin in the middle of the great hall at the young redheads feet. 

“What are you playing at?” A boy demanded, looking at Harry angrily. 

“What are you talking about?” Harry looked around at all the scared faces watching him. “I was telling the snake to leave her alone.” The great hall was utterly silent. 

“Telling it?” a Ravenclaw girl scoffed. “Talking to snakes isn’t a normal thing.”

“It isn’t?” 

Draco wanted to grab Harry and pull him away from all the people looking at him like there was something wrong with him. He wanted to drag him away before someone else realised what he had, that Harry was a-

“Parselmouth.” Draco heard the word repeated through the great hall. He couldn’t take it anymore. He stood from his spot at the Slytherin table and walked down between the tables until he’d reached Harry. Snagging his hand he pulled the other boy from the great hall and down to the Slytherin dorms. 

“Why didn’t you tell me you could talk to snakes?” Draco asked. He wasn’t sure how he felt that Harry had kept such a big secret from him. 

“I didn’t know it was anything out of the ordinary,” Harry confessed, and Draco believed him. “Besides,” Harry went on, “I’ve only done it once before when I set a boa constrictor on my cousin at the zoo.” Draco raised his eyebrows at his best mate. “What? It’s not like I did it on purpose!”

Just then the other Slytherin boys burst through the door. “Are you the Heir of Slytherin, Harry?” Theo asked.

“No, of course he isn’t!” Draco snapped. 

Theo shrank into himself. “Sorry, that’s just what everyone’s saying in the great hall.” He turned to Harry. “We don’t care if you are by the way. It’d be pretty cool actually.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying at all?” Draco demanded, his anger rising up. “It would not be cool. Everyone probably thinks it was Harry who’s been petrified Mrs Norris and Creevey.”

“Ah, who cares about that. Everyone hates that dumb cat and no one much liked Creevey either. He was such a sniveling little git, always trying to get pictures of-”

“Shut up! Shut up for a minute!” Draco pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, which were squeezed shut. “He’s not Slytherin’s heir.”

“I’m not,” Harry confirmed.

“Well, actually, for all we know you could be, Harry,” Blaise said hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck. He seemed worried of an outburst from Draco. “I mean you are a parselmouth.”

“This is ridiculous. Harry isn’t even a pureblood.” That seemed to stump them a bit. 

“Yeah, but he’s really powerful,” Nott suggested. “So maybe that makes up for it.”

Harry shook his head. “It doesn’t make up for anything because witches and wizards who aren’t purebloods aren’t lacking. Look at Hermione for example, both her parents are muggles and she’s a better student than any of us.”

Draco knew that technically what Harry was saying was right but he didn’t like talking about blood purity because his whole childhood he’d been taught that purebloods were superior to other witches and wizards whose lineage was tainted with muggle blood. It made him feel uneasy, having everything he’d been taught corrected. 

-x-

Harry and Draco ended up spending Christmas together again, this year though the Malfoy’s spent Christmas at their place in the mountains. 

“Muggles are so funny,” Draco said to Harry. “They strap these pieces of wood to their feet and launch themselves down snow-covered mountains because they claim that it’s fun. You know, some strap both feet to one piece of wood. What’s the name for that again?”

“You mean skiing and snowboarding?”

Draco laughed. “Yes, that. How ridiculous.”

They were sitting on the chalet balcony overlooking the mountain. It was one of the most beautiful things Harry thought he’d ever seen. The snow covered trees that went on forever without an end in sight. “Well, have you ever tried it?”

“Heavens, no,” Draco scoffed, wrinkling his nose at the thought in distaste. 

“How do you know you wouldn’t enjoy it then?”

“What about throwing yourself down a mountain could be fun? It sounds more dangerous than anything. You know I’ve heard a lot of muggles have died skiiboarding.”

Harry refrained from correcting Draco’s usage of the word ‘skiiboarding’. “I think you’re just worried you’d wipe out and not be able to stand.”

“Don’t be silly, Potter.”

“You’re just worried you’d embarrass yourself.”

“I would not. I refuse to have this conversation with you-”

“Oh, do you now?” Harry cackled, he loved getting Draco riled up like this. It was great fun. 

“You’re such a child,” Draco huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“You know it’s okay to not be good at everythi-” Harry was suddenly blinking cold snow out of his eyes. “What was that for?!”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“There are other ways to end a conversation!” Harry exclaimed, wiping snow from his face. 

Draco just shrugged and went back to looking over the balcony railing. I don’t think so, Harry thought. Scooping a handful of snow over the arm of the chair on his other side, so Draco wouldn’t see, he packed it tight before hurling it at the other boy. 

Draco growled. “Oh you are so dead, Potter.”

“Bring it, Malfoy,” Harry challenged. 

They both leapt from their chairs, letting the blankets they’d had wrapped around them fall to the snow covered balcony. Snow flew. Sometime later, Draco pushed himself up off the ground, where he’d collapsed exhausted. “I’m going to go make some hot chocolate. Want some?”

Harry sat up and yawned. “Sure, mind if I shower first?’

“Not at all.” Walking back into the chalet through a sliding glass door, the boys shook off the snow that clung to their coats.

“You boys are making such a mess,” his mother shook her head, taking out her wand, she vanished the snow before it melted and ruined the hardware floors. 

“Be done in a bit,” Harry said before heading up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Draco watched him leave before heading to the kitchen.

“Where’s he going?” His mother asked, following him. 

“To take a shower.” Draco got down two mugs from the cabinet and set the kettle over the burner to boil.

“You should probably take one too so you don’t catch a cold. I can finish making this for you. It’ll be ready and warm by the time you’re done.”

Draco imagined the hot water washing over his skin. He wouldn’t mind that right now. “If you’re sure?”

“Well I certainly don’t want you to get sick,” his mother tsked. “You’re downright wretched and more demanding than ever when you are and it’s miserable for everyone around you.”

Draco rolled his eyes and headed for the stairs, he’d almost reached the bottom of the staircase when he hesitated and turned around. “Did you get Harry gifts this year as well?”

“Of course we did. You don’t think we’d just have you unwrap all your gifts in front of him?”

“I mean that’s kind of what happened last year.” 

“You asked if he could come a week before the break, sweetheart,” his mother replied, tone impatient.

“Please, mother, it’s not like it would have been hard.”

“Yes, well, it all worked out though, didn’t it?’

He supposed that was true. Biting the inside of his cheek and fidgeting with his sleeve he asked, “Are you and father going to be here this year?”

“You mean Christmas morning, for opening gifts?” Draco nodded. His mother worried with her wedding ring, twisting it around her finger. “I can’t confirm anything in regards to your father but I'll do my best, alright, Draco? We’ll have to apparate back home for Christmas evening, as you know we have to host the party, you and Harry can stay here or come home, it’s your choice. I’m not sure about your father and I getting back though.”

“I just think Christmas would be nice with all of us.”

His mother’s eyes looked sad and Draco felt bad for pushing her like this. “I know, love. At least Harry’s here, right? You two are very close.”

“Because we’re best mates.” He wasn’t sure why he felt defensive.

“I know. I’m glad you have such good friends. Not just Harry but Pansy too. You can have her up next year if you’d like?” She offered, hopefully. 

Draco itched to go upstairs and take his shower, to get away from this conversation. “She might have other plans. Her family always goes away.”

“I was just suggesting, darling.” Draco nodded but didn’t say anything else as he left his mother i the kitchen and ascended the stairs to his room. He could hear the shower running from the bathroom attached to Harry’s as he passed. Reaching his own room he walked into the bathroom and turned the shower faucet to start the water running. Stripping of his clothes, Draco stared into the mirror at his pale skin, pale hair, pale grey eyes. Soon the heat from the water had steamed up bathroom mirror so he could no longer see himself, just a fuzzy pale figure. With a sigh he stepped away from his reflection and into the boiling hot water.

-x-

There were more attacks. Nearly headless Nick, a Hogwarts ghost, and a student, Justin Finch-Fletchley, the boy who’d cried out at Harry in the great hall when the whole of Hogwarts had realised that Harry was a Parselmouth. 

“It’s interesting because there’s something in common with all the attacks,” Hermione told Draco, Harry, Pansy and Ron. The five of them were sitting at a table in the library. They’d originally come together with the intention of studying for end of year exams, but like most conversations did these days it turned into one about the chamber of secrets and the attacks. “The petrifications. Now I did a bit of reading to try and figure out what the beast from the chamber of secrets could be. At first nothing made sense but then I realized something else about the attacks. No one has been killed yet. Mrs Norris saw the attacker’s reflection in the water on the floor. Collin saw the attacker through his camera. Sir Nick saw it directly, but as a ghost it’s not like he can die again and Justin saw the attacker through Nick, who was transparent, and therefore didn’t see it directly.”

“What are you getting at, Granger?” Pansy asked, impatiently. 

“Well then I remembered something else. After every attack, at the place it occurred, there have been spiders fleeing the scene. It’s been the same every time. So I checked the books again and look what I found.” Hermione dug into her bag and pulled out a book. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for then turned it around for them to read. 

"Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."

“You think the beast is a Basalisk because of the spiders?”

Hermione shook her head. “That’s not all-”

“It makes so much sense,” Draco leaned back, annoyed that he hadn’t thought of it before. 

“Harry, remember right before the attack on Justin and sir Nick, how you told me you heard a voice in the walls talking about how it was going to kill?’ Harry nodded. “And how you’ve heard it before every attack? The Basalisk is a snake-”

“It’s pretty much a dragon,” Ron said, looking down at the illustration in the book of the Basalisk. 

“You’re a parselmouth Harry. You can talk to snakes so it would make sense that you’d hear the Basalisk before it killed.”

There was still one thing that didn’t make sense though. “But the Basalisk can’t be in the walls,” said Draco.

“No, but it can travel through the pipes.” They all sat in a stunned silence as they absorbed the information. 

“You’re a genius, Granger,” Pansy admitted. “You might really be the brightest witch of our age like they say.”

“So what do we do now?’ asked Harry. 

Hermione answered right away. “Go to the teachers, of course.”

“What will they do?”

“More than we can.”

Draco bit his lower lip. “Even if we go to them we still don’t know the entrance to the chamber of secrets. Without that this information won’t be of much use Let’s find it and then tell them.” 

“It could take us ages to find though,” Hermione argued. “Who knows how many attacks there will have been by then.”

“I think we should sleep on it,” offered Pansy. “Talk about it more tomorrow when we all have clear heads.” 

“Oh, alright,” Hermione sighed. “But we have to do something soon, before there’s another attack.” They all agreed, nodding glumly. 

-x-

The Hogwarts staff and students were all in a state of fear. Fear, is an interesting emotion. It makes individuals do and say things that under any other circumstance they likely wouldn’t. It was a rainy evening when the news of yet another attack, another dual petrification. Harry cursed himself for agreeing to put off telling the teachers. A girl from Ravenclaw and Hermione. 

“We should have said something.” Harry sat down hard in a chair in the library, across from Ron. 

“How would that have helped?” Draco demanded, passing back and forth. 

“I don’t know. But we should have. The teachers could have done something.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake you two,” Pansy snapped. “Would you stop for just two seconds with your incessant bickering!”

Draco kept going like he hadn’t heard her. “It isn’t our fault this happened.”

“Yes, it is,” Harry said forcefully. 

“We had information we could have given the teachers that could have prevented more attacks.”

“Just be grateful it wasn’t you.”

“Excuse me?’

He ticked them off on his fingers. “Creevey’s a muggleborn, Fletchley’s a muggleborn, Grangers’s a muggleborn and Clearwater, that girl from Ravenclaw who was attacked is muggleborn or half blood as well because she isn’t a pureblood.” 

“What are you implying?’ Ron growled, standing up. 

“I’m not implying anything, the stories said the beast would purge the school of all who weren’t worthy of studying magic and that’s what it’s doing, but while we’re on the subject you should probably watch your back too, blood traitor.”

“Why you-” Ron started toward Draco but Harry stepped into his path. Grabbing Ron’s wrist to hold him back Harry stared Draco right in the eye with a cold fury racing through him. 

“I thought- but no, I guess once a bigoted pureblood always a bigoted pureblood,” Harry lashed out. Not even able to look Draco in the eye anymore, Harry turned away, pulling Ron with him. He’d thought Draco had changed, that he’d become more open minded. Harry considered the thought that the superiority of purebloods over any other blood status had been what Draco had been taught his whole life but dismissed that because it wasn’t an excuse. Harry couldn’t make up reasons to justify and defend Draco’s actions, his usage of slurs and ignorant, offensive behaviour. 

-x-

It was the longest Harry had ever gone not talking or communicating with Draco in any way. It was strange, even over the summer they wrote letters. He’d grown close with Ron ever since Draco and him had stopped talking. They sat together in the classes they had with each other and spent all of their free time trying to find the entrance to the chamber of secrets.Pansy spent her time going between Harry and Draco. It was annoying to Harry that she did this but he didn’t want to be the one to tell her to choose between her two best friends. So instead Harry spent a lot of time with Ron Wealsey. 

“Have you replaced Draco with Weasley?” When Harry didn’t answer she tried a different approach. “You’re going to have to forgive him at some point,” Pansy sighed, slouching into a plush sofa by the fire. It was late and there was no one else in the common room. 

“No, I don’t,” Harry glared into the flames. “I don’t want to be friends with a prejudiced asshole.”

“That’s kind of extreme, Harry.” Pansy frowned and curled her legs beneath her. 

“It’s not extreme,” said Harry, running his hands over his face and through his hair, frustrated with the whole situation. “Draco can’t possible think it’s okay to distinguish wizards and their worth by their blood status.” 

Pansy pressed her lips together in obvious discomfort. “He doesn’t mean it. He’s just scared.”

“Pansy, we’re all scared.”

“What, so are you just never going to talk to him again?” Harry sat in stony silence. He didn’t have an answer for that, he didn’t know what he was going to do yet. “He’s your best friend!”

“I can’t be friends with people who have opinions like that. I’m a half blood, Pansy. Draco can’t just pick and choose when it’s convenient-”

“What happened to not going anywhere?” Pansy lashed out.

“What?”

“Last year, you promised you weren’t going anywhere.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “This sort of changes things.”

Pansy rose to her feet and gave Harry a long hard look. “Don’t let this be what drives you two apart. Best friends are supposed to get through thick and thin together.”

Harry scoffed and turned his face back to the crackling fire, watching the flames dance . 

-x-

They’d found it. Harry stared engraving of the snake in the girls bathroom on the second floor. He had to tell someone. He raced to go find Ron but students were streaming through the halls. What was going on? Then he realised it was dinner time. Going with the flow of students he walked into the great hall and spotted Ron immediately, not that it was hard with his shock of red hair. Walking as fast as he thought he could without being suspicious Harry went to Ron. 

“I found it,” Harry whispered to Ron.   
“You found it?” The other boy stared up at him in disbelief with wide eyes. “Let’s tell the Dumbledore.”

“Not until after dinner,” Harry said. “There are too many people around who will panic. Besides everyone is safer in numbers with all of us here in the great hall.”

Dinner was a torturously slow affair. Harry couldn’t stop fidgeting in his seat, impatient to tell someone what they knew. He hoped that it would be enough. After dinner when students were streaming out of the great hall he and Ron tried to get around them to speak to their Headmaster but Dumbledore disappeared into the throng of students. 

“Well what do we do now?” Ron asked as they walked the corridors.

Then, echoing through the corridors came Professor McGonagall’s voice, magically magnified.  
‘All students to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers return to the second floor. Immediately, please.’ (I took this from the book and changed a few words)

“What’s going on?” Harry wondered. 

“We’re going to get stopped in the hallway if we keep going,” Ron said, worrying his lower lip.

“Not necessarily, follow me.” Harry led Ron down to the dungeons where the Slytherin dorms were. “Wait here,” Harry said, indicating a statue. “I’ll be back in a moment.” He raced to his room and was busy pulling out his invisibility cloak from the bottom of his trunk from under his bed when a voice startled him and he hit his head. 

“Where are you going?” Harry looked up to see Draco peering down at him. 

“What do you care?” He shot back. 

“Because you’re my best mate.” Harry blanched. “Answer the damn question, Potter.”

Harry’s expression hardened. “Someone got taken down into the chamber and we’re going to get them out.”

“‘We’re?’”

“Ron and me.”

Without hesitation Draco said, “I’m coming with you.”

“No, you can’t”

“Why not?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But you’re going?” Draco argued. 

Harry ran a hand through his hair, he was annoyed about how much he cared for Draco’s well being even now. “Draco, you could get hurt-”

“I’m coming. End of discussion. What’s the plan?” Harry sucked on the inside of his cheek. He hadn’t gotten that far. “Of course you don’t have one.” Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Good thing I already do.”

When Harry exited the Slytherin dormitories he waved Ron over. 

“What’s he doing here?” Ron sneered at Draco. 

“Trust me, I don’t like it either,” Harry said, “but he’s got a plan which is more than we can say. Now come on we’ve got to hurry. We don’t have much time.” 

Ron’s eyes went to the cloak in Harry’s arms. “Is that-” Harry draped the cloak over the three of and Ron was looking at Harry, mouth wide. “It’s an invisibility cloak, isn’t it? Where’d you get it Harry?”

“I got it for Christmas last year,” Harry started to explain as they half sprinted up to the second floor. “At first I had no idea who sent it to me. There was no sender's name attached. But then I found out at the end of last year that it was from Dumbledore-”

“Dumbledore?!”

“Yes, well, apparently my dad left it in his possession before his death. According to Dumbledore my dad used to use it around Hogwarts when he went here for things like sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food.” They all got a laugh out of that. 

“You’re dad seems like he was a pretty cool guy,” Ron laughed. 

Harry was about to reply when he heard something. Frightened voices. “Hold on, do you hear that?” Up ahead there was hushed whispering. The boys sped up and peeked around the corner. Harry’s heart stopped beating in his chest. The first time there’d been an attack there’d been writing on the walls warning the school that the chamber had been reopened. Now there was another message. Harry read and reread it. He was having trouble breathing. 

"Her Skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever." 

“-a student has been taken by the beast,” McGonagall was saying. Harry’s blood ran cold.

It had finally happened, the most dreaded scenario. The Basilisk had taken a student down into the chamber of secrets. 

“What else can we do, Albus?”

“Nothing, Minerva. This has gone on for too long. The students must be sent home and the school must be shut down.” 

Just then new footsteps echoed from the other side of the corridor. “My apologies for my tardiness,” said Lochhart. “What have I missed?”

“A girl has been taken by the monster,” Snape informed him in an icy voice. “Alas, your moment has finally arrived.”

“I- I beg your pardon?” Lockhart sputtered, face gone pale.

“You’re always going on about your great defeats and last night weren’t you saying you know where the entrance to the chamber is?”

Lockhart went, if possible, even paler, all blood draining from his face. “There we have it then,” said McGonagall. “Your skills, after all, are legend.”

“Ah, yes, well- well I’ll just be up in my room. Preparing.” And with that he turned on his heel and left in a hurry. 

“Has the headcount come back yet? The Head boys and girls of each house did attendance did they not? Who did the monster take?” asked Madam Pomfrey. 

Professor McGonagall looked sick. “Ginevra Weasley.” Beside him Ron made a gagging noise, Harry clamped a hand over his mouth, but it seemed the Professors were so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn’t heard. 

“I’ll go tell her brothers now,” Minerva McGonagall was saying, solemnly. “They’re all in Gryffindor.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I will notify her parents.” 

Ron turned to Harry, his eyes full of anxiety. “We have to do something!”

“We will.” Harry turned to Draco. “Now’s the time for whatever plan you said you had.’

-x-

Pansy walked into the infirmary, letting the doors fall closed behind her. She spotted Harry, Draco and Ron immediately. They were the only patients sitting up and moving. The rest of them were stone still, petrified. 

She sat at the end of Harry’s bed. “You’re mother is in Dumbledore’s office giving him an earful,” she told them. 

“Why?” Draco looked confused. 

“What do you mean why?” Pansy pulled a face. “You and Harry have only been here for two years and both years you end up fighting the Dark Lord and almost dying.”

“She has a point,” Ron said. 

“Is Ginny alright?” asked Harry. 

“She’s shaken up but she’s fine. Your parents were here with her in Dumbledore’s office before Mrs Malfoy showed up,” she told Ron. 

Ron shuddered. “I can't believe you-know-who controlled her through a diary.” 

“It’s a frightening concept,” Pansy agreed. Harry didn’t miss the look she shared with Draco. What was that about?

“Your idea to use a chicken was really good,” Harry admitted to Draco, begrudgingly. They weren’t exactly fighting anymore but Harry wasn’t ready to go back to the way things were before. 

“It was a rooster actually, but thanks. I just remembered what that book Hermione had shown us mentioned that it’s cry is fatal to a Basalisk.”

“So what happens now?” Pansy asked. 

“We wake up all these people.” They all looked at the other patients. It was an eerie sight that gave Pansy chills. “The sooner that happens, the better.” 

“Do you think he’ll try again?” Ron asked, fidgeting with the starch white material of the crisp hospital bed sheets.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you-know-who has tried twice now to come back, the first time, last year, with the Philosophers Stone and again, this year, with Ginny and the diary,” explained Ron. The light of the candles flickered against the walls as the four of them contemplated this. 

“I suppose there is no way to know what he’s planning next,” said Harry finally. 

A dark look settled over Draco’s face. “As long as there’s no denial that he is planning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so that's all of second year in one chapter. it's longer than the last few chapters by a lot because it's one long chapter instead of split up. do you guys prefer shorter chapters more frequently or longer chapters slightly less often?


	5. Ch. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the one with sirius black, croquet, friendship bracelets and a confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took awhile to come out. i just got back from buenos aires! (so i haven't had much time to write)  
> i think i prefer writing longer chapters less frequently though (they feel more satisfying to post) hope y'all don't mind. i have most of the rest of this story mapped out and i'm super excited for what's to come! enjoy

Third Year

Three weeks. He’d only needed to get through three more weeks of summer vacation with the Dursleys. Instead, his temper had gotten the best of him when Aunt Marge had come to visit and he’d maybe accidentally blown her up into a human balloon. That night had been a hectic one to say the least. After losing his temper he’d packed his things and run away from the Dursleys, possibly imagined a terrifyingly massive black dog, nearly been run over by a bus then transported by said bus to the Leaky Cauldron where upon arriving he’d met the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Fudge had wanted him to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for the remaining three weeks before school started but when Harry had written to Draco to let him know what was going on Mrs Malfoy had apparated to the Leaky Cauldron the next morning with no warning whatsoever, in the typical overdramatic Malfoy style, to bring him back to Malfoy Manor. 

After the last month and a half of writing letters back and forth, Harry and Draco were back to normal. Things had been tense between them for awhile, even after defeating Voldemort/Tom Riddle together at the end of second year, because of their difference in opinion when it came to the importance of a witch or wizards blood status. Harry knew that Draco had been brought up his whole childhood being taught that witches and wizards with a pure magical bloodline were superior to those with muggle blood mixed into their lineage. Harry had also learned over the last two years of being best friends with the boy that Draco was a proud individual who had a hard time admitting that he was wrong. That was why Harry had believed Draco when he’d written to Harry acknowledging and apologizing for his close mindedness. 

Of course actions spoke louder than words so while the letters were a good start Harry was really waiting to see if Draco’s behavior would change. Harry hoped it would. He didn’t want to be angry with his best friend anymore. 

Upon apparating into the front hall of Malfoy Manor, Harry immediately felt at ease. He couldn’t put his finger on it exactly. It wasn’t as if Malfoy Manor was home. However, it smelled the way Draco did and it was that familiarity that he suspected put him at ease. 

Harry dropped his trunk to the floor and placed Hedwig's cage down beside it. She hooted and flapped her wings restlessly. 

“Mother is that you?” called out Draco’s familiar voice. He appeared at the top of the staircase, one hand on the banister. “You look green, Potter. First time apparating?” 

His stomach did feel a bit queasy, but he wasn’t about to admit that. “Nice sunburn, Malfoy,” Harry tried to hold back the massive grin that threatened to split across his face but it was just so good to see his best friend again and he couldn’t help it. Not to mention Draco really did look comedically red from too much sun. “Careful when we go back to Hogwarts they don’t hang you up thinking you’re a Gryffindor banner,” he teased. 

“Shut up, Potter,” Draco said, but there was no venom behind his words. “Mother, I thought you said you would pick me up a potion or healing lotion while you were out?”

Narcissa had just finished removing her lightweight fur lined coat when she turned to face her son. “Calm down, I did darling.” From the folds of her robes she produced a corked bottle. “You can ingest it or spread it on the area but according to the witch I bought it from doing both will result in a more rapid healing.”

Draco came down the stairs to take it from her. He wore a light grey shirt and comfortable looking jeans. He was more dressed down than usual. “Thank you. Why didn’t you just send Dobby to get this and to fetch Harry?”

“Because I highly doubt Fudge would have released Harry to an unknown house elf. Besides, Dobby is making Harry’s favourite, treacle tart.” Harry’s mouth watered, the Dursleys had fed him even less this summer than usual. 

Draco held the bottle up to the light and looked at it through the glass. “It looks goopy,” he said, grimacing. 

“Well either you can use it or continue to look like a Gryffindor banner,” Mrs Malfoy told her son, winking at Harry who grinned.

Rolling his eyes Draco started back up the stairs. “Let’s go, Potter. I bought you a souvenir on our trip.” Grabbing Hedwig’s cage and his trunk, Harry hauled them up the stairs after Draco. 

“How’d you get so burnt anyway?”

“We just got back from Zürich, Switzerland and my dumb ass decided not to wear sunscreen while we were there because I thought I was too good for it.”

“I’m sorry, can you say that again?” Harry couldn’t help but laugh. The sound of it carried down the hallway they’d just started to walk down. It had tiled floor, with a green and silver carpet running down the centre. The walls were dark with silver torches that held glowing green flame. Statues were evenly placed down the right side of the hall, on the same side as the torches. The opposite side was lined with nearly floor to ceiling windows with dark swaths of fabric held back by intricately designed silver clasps to let in the summer light. 

“It’s so sticky!”

“It’s better than damaging your skin!” Draco muttered something under his breath Harry couldn’t hear. “What was that?”

“I wanted to tan,” Draco huffed. They’d reached the end of the hall and Draco pushed open his bedroom door, allowing Harry to go in first.

Harry roared with laughter. “This is too good,” he said once he’d calmed down enough to talk, putting down Hedwig and his trunk he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. 

“If you tell anyone else I’ll skin you alive,” Draco threatened him. 

“Sure you will.” Harry grinned in response. It was good to have his best friend back. 

-x-

“Nice try, Theodore, I fucking saw that!” Pansy waved her croquet stick at him. 

Harry sighed and leaned against his mallet for support. “Here we go again,” he said to Draco, leaning in so only the other boy would hear. 

Draco snickered. “I’ll ask Dobby to make us a platter of crackers and cheese. I’m famished but at this rate we’ll be here for a good time longer.”

Pansy, Blaise and Theo had joined them, coming to Malfoy Manor for the last few days before they went back to Hogwarts. It was great to see all his friends, Harry just wished they were as passionate about Quidditch as they were about croquet. He and Draco had tried getting them all on broomsticks to practice before the school year started but, other than Draco, they just couldn’t get into it. Hence, why they were playing croquet. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Pansy darling.” Theo’s eyes twinkled. 

“You can only hit your ball once per turn!”

“And I did.”

“Liar, I saw you hit it twice. Blaise you saw that too, right?” Pansy demanded. Harry and Draco shared a laugh over the alarmed look on Blaise’s face upon being addressed by a fired up Pansy. She whirled on them, “And what are you two giggling about? If you’d stop flirting for two seconds, Draco, you would know it’s your turn.”

“What crawled up her ass and died?” Theo whispered under his breath as they passed. 

Harry shook his head. “I never ever want to be on her bad side if this is what it’s like to be on her good side.”

“So you’ve all heard about the escape of Sirius Black, right?” said Theodore as Harry took a swing at his ball. He completely missed and ended up uprooting the little white gate instead. 

“He was on muggle TV,” Harry remarked, remembering the snippet of news he’d overheard from under his Aunt and Uncles window sill. He shoved the croquet gate back into the ground and took another swing at his ball. He was distracted though and his blow miscalculated. His ball went way off from where he’d been aiming for and he sighed.

“That’s how big he is. The Minister of Magic had to warn the Muggle Minister.”

“He was imprisoned in Azkaban for murder and now he’s escaped. First one to ever do it. No one else has ever escaped Azkaban before,” Pansy was saying just as Dobby appeared with the cheese and crackers. 

“How’d he do it?” Harry asked. 

Blaise chewed at the inside of his cheek. “That’s just the thing. No one knows.”

“You know, Harry,” Draco started, indecisive whether telling his best mate was a good idea. But then, he’d never kept secrets from Harry. He rubbed at the back of his neck. “Fudge has told my father that he was out at Azkaban the night he escaped. That the guards told Fudge Black had been talking in his sleep, saying the same words: “He’s at Hogwarts… he’s at Hogwarts.” Black is mad, totally deranged, but… some think he’s after you. They think Black’s motive is to murder you to bring back the Dark Lord. He lost everything the night you stopped the Dark Lord and he’s had twelve years to marinate in that ugly loathing…”

Harry blinked at his friends. This was all new news to him. “That must have been why Fudge tried to keep me in Diagon Alley. He wanted me to stay in the Leaky Cauldron.”

“You know you’re safe while you’re at Hogwarts though, right, Harry?” Pansy rested a hand on his shoulder, he supposed in an attempt to comfort him. Right now though all he felt was a cold displacement. “ I mean Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard. He’ll protect you.”

Harry nodded robotically. Draco noticed his friends discomfort. “They’re also placing guards from Azkaban around the schools perimeter as an extra precaution.” 

“I’m not going to be murdered,” Harry said, hard and cold. The memory of the looming black dog with glowing yellow eyes from the night he’d run away from the Dursleys washed over him. 

“No, of course not.” But fear was gathering in the pit of Draco’s stomach. Why couldn’t they have one nice, normal school year, for once?

-x-

It was a wonder they didn’t miss the train. Between Draco’s stupidly long morning skin routine, Theo’s sudden realisation that he’d fallen asleep before packing the night before and Harry’s trouble getting Hedwig settled in her cage. 

With so little time to spare before the train departed the station the group of them had to settle for the compartment at the very end of the train. It already had an occupant, a young looking man, despite already having grey flecked hair, with shabby robes. He was fast asleep up against the window. 

The group took their seats around him, doing their best not to disturb him. 

“Who is he?” asked Theo, peering at the mans face. “I’ve never seen an adult on the train, save that dumpy cheerful lady with the sweets trolley.”

“Well, it says right there on his case,” muttered Draco. “Professor R. J. Lupin.”

“Suppose he’s our next Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor?” pondered Theo.

Blaise tilted his head. “It’s the only opening this year so I’d bargain he is.”

The first portion of the train ride the group discussed going to Hogsmeade since they were allowed to go now on designated days since they were in their third year at Hogwarts this year. When Harry revealed that he hadn’t been able to get his Aunt or Uncles signatures, hence he wouldn’t be able to go, they started discussing ways to sneak Harry in. It was around then that a rain started up, thick and fast. Bullets of rain fell in rapid succession against the compartment window. Professor Lupin still hadn’t woken up. 

Then the train started to slow.

-x-

Harry was incredibly grumpy and the school year at barely begun. First the Dementors had attacked the train and he’d embarrassingly fainted, thank goodness Professor Lupin had been there to help. Divination was a joke, Professor Trelawney had already decided he was going to die as his tea leaves had shown the figure of what the woman had called the Grim. What shook Harry up most about this was that the Grim was the shape of a big black dog, like the one he’d seen when he’d run away… but no. It couldn’t be. Trelawney was bat crazy, that’s what everyone said. Even Hermione. Then Professor Lupin hadn’t let him partake in his class, the only one Harry was genuinely interested in, dismissing the Boggart for him. (Though Harry had forgiven him after Lupin had explained that he’d thought the Boggart would turn into Lord Voldemort) Despite this Defence Against the Dark Arts was his favorite class and Professor Lupin was his favourite teacher. He was passionate and clever.

Then most frightening of all, Sirius Black had attacked the Fat Lady at the entrance of the Gryffindor common room. Hermione and Draco figured he’d thought Harry was in Gryffindor because that’s what James and Lily had been sorted into. After this the school talked of little else besides the attack and Sirius Black’s brilliance at first being able to escape Azkaban and then his ability to get into Hogwarts even with the Dementors stationed outside and Dumbledore’s presence. 

Even after all that, to cap it all off, Harry fainted when the Dementors interfered during the first Quidditch match. It would have been bad enough, fainting in front of everyone because of the Dementors, if only his broom hadn’t blown away in the storm and been smashed into a dozen bits of wood and twig, totally unrepairable. He’d also seen the silhouette of an enormous shaggy balck dog imprinted against the sky at the top of the Quidditch stands. This was the second time he’d seen the Grim. And the sound of his mothers begging voice haunted him. The sound of her begging Voldemort not to kill him. His nightmares were worse than ever. 

After that Harry had someone managed to convince Professor Lupin to give him Anti-Dementor lessons starting the next term. With this promise he felt much more reassured, he couldn’t continue fainting because of the Dementors. It was embarrassing and inconvenient because no one else seemed to be as affected by them as he was. 

Two weeks before Christmas break there’d been another Hogsmeade trip, to everyone’s delight except Harry’s. That’s when Ron’s older brothers, mischievous twins of Hogwarts had pulled him aside. 

“Heya Harry!” said George. 

“Ron told us all about how you couldn’t get your Aunt or Uncle to sign the Hogsmeade permission slip.”

“So we figured-”

“-to thank you for saving Ginny’s life last year-”

“-and because according to Ron you seem like a pretty solid bloke-”

“-not to mention the trouble you’ve been getting into over the last two years has been pretty impressive-”

“-well we figure, even though it’s a wrench to give it to you-”

“-your need is greater than ours,” Fred said with a twinkle in his eyes. With that he produced a large piece of folded up yellowed parchment. 

Harry furrowed his brows, confused. “What’s this?”

“The key to our success over the last few years of pranks,” George told him. 

Harry stared at the parchment a bit longer but still didn’t understand. Were they pulling his leg? “I don’t get it. It’s just a bit of old parchment.”

Fred gasped dramatically, like Harry had mortally offended him. “Just a piece of parchment he says!”

They’d gone on to tell Harry about how they’d acquired it years back from Filch’s office then blown Harry’s mind, showing him how to get the map to reveal all of Hogwarts, secret passageways and all (“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!” “See that there Harry? That’s a passageway that’ll get you right into Hogsmeade.” “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. We owe them so much.” “Make sure you wipe it when you’re done” “Or else anyone can read it.” “Just tap it again and say ‘Mischief managed’.”)

“So, we’ll see you in Honeydukes,” Fred said, winking. 

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way. 

-x-

Harry would look back and wonder whether the map had actually done him any good that day. Hogsmeade had been wonderful at first, more magical than his friends had described, but he’d also learned a haunting truth. He’d been hiding under the cloak of invisibility in the Three Broomsticks, talking with Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Theodore when he’d overheard a conversation among Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Madam Rosmerta and the Minister of Magic. Without knowing he was there they’d discussed something dreadful, that Sirius Black had been his father’s best friend, that the man who was apparently his godfather had also been undercover for Lord Voldemort and been the one to betray his parents. 

-x-

That year for the Holidays Pansy came up to Malfoy Manor with them. It was nice to be around friends, he needed their presence to distract him from all the bad things going on. The Malfoy’s always went over the top with decorations, trees with differently colour schemed ornaments to match nearly every room, plenty of good food and Harry made sure to watch out for the enchanted mistletoe. 

His nightmares however left him tired every morning, he never felt well rested anymore and his face had started to look sickly pale. One night he woke with a scream. He rolled out of bed, his sheets damp with his sweat. Pacing the room Harry tried to calm himself down. “It’s only a nightmare, it’s only a nightmare, it isn’t real.” But he couldn’t get the big black dog, Black’s screaming face (that seemed to be unavoidable at the front of every copy of the Daily Prophet) or his mother’s begging voice out of is head. 

His door burst open and Harry whirled around, his wand already drawn, only to see the blurry faces of Draco and Pansy. 

“Harry, you look awful,” Draco said, coming further into the room, Pansy close behind him. 

“Gee, thanks.” Harry rolled his eyes and lowered his wand, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table he shoved them up his nose. 

“What’s going on?” asked Pansy, cupping his face. “You’re all sweaty and pale.”

He turned his face to the side, breaking the connection. “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Cut the crap, Potter,” Draco told him, impatiently. Harry pressed his lips together stubbornly. 

“We know something’s going on.” Pansy crossed her arms across her chest. “ If you don’t tell us we’re going to have to tell Mrs Malfoy.”

“She’ll make you see a healer.” 

Harry huffed. “It really is nothing. Just some nightmares.” 

“This isn’t nothing,” Draco said, gesturing to him. “How much sleep do you get?”

“Enough,” grunted Harry. “Stop being such a mother hen.”

“Don’t be a git,” Draco snapped. “You definitely aren’t getting enough if the size of your eyebags is anything to go by.”

“I’d recommend a dreamless potion but those are really addictive,” Pansy said frowning at him. 

After a drawn out silence Draco said, “Here, Pansy, I’ve got it. You can go back to sleep.” Pansy looked like she wanted to argue but Draco gave her a meaningful look that Harry was too tired to try and interpret. She pursed her lips but nodded and left the room. 

“Look, I really do appreciate your concern but-”

“You can’t go back to bed here, I’m not letting you sleep in these sheets. Come on,” Draco said to Harry, turning to leave the room. Too tired to argue, Harry followed, wearily. His eyes itched he was so sleep deprived. 

“Where are we going?” he yawned. Draco was silent up ahead, they turned a corner and headed down the a green torch lit hallway. The small flickering eerie green flames flickered. The windows on the wall opposite still had their drapes pulled back and moonlight created shadows with the gnarled tree branches against the stone wall and on the statues faces. Harry looked away and sped up to catch up with Draco who pushed open the door at the end of the hall. The pale, blond boy looked to Harry, waiting for him to go through first. 

Harry blinked in the dark. “Wait, isn’t this your room?”

“Yeah, you can have my bed. I can sleep on the sofa in my sitting room.”

“Draco-”

“Don’t argue, Potter. This way if you have another nightmare I’ll be here with you.” Something in Harry’s stomach fluttered at that. Harry slipped his hand around Draco’s wrist loosely and pulled him toward the bed in the middle of the room. The duvet was pushed back, the sheets rumpled, decorative pillows discarded on the floor. Harry felt bad for waking Draco, he hadn’t meant to. Hopefully he hadn’t been screaming loud enough for it to wake Mr or Mrs Malfoy. 

“There’s no reason for you to sleep on a sofa, it’s big enough for both of us,” he said, stopping in front of the bed. “We’re best friends and as long as you don’t kick or talk in your sleep I don’t mind sharing.” 

Draco licked his lips and nodded. “Okay, but hold on a sec. You’re all sweaty.” Harry blinked through the darkness and watched Draco rummage through his wardrobe. He returned a few seconds later with a large, soft t shirt and boxers. Draco turned for Harry to change so he’d at least have semi privacy, but it was so dark it’s not like he’d have been able to see anything. 

“You done?”

“Yeah. Why not give me a pair of your fancy silk pyjamas?” Harry joked.

“Because you’re all sweaty, Potter, and the silk pyjamas are expensive. Besides, you’ll be less hot in these.” Harry knew Draco was trying to tease him but he could still hear the worried note in his voice. “Come on, get in bed already,” Draco said, yawning.

Harry crawled in first, sliding over to one end, and Draco followed, taking the other end. The smell of Draco surrounded him immediately. He pulled the duvet up higher and stretched his legs, with a satisfied sigh. Harry took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He was already starting to feel much calmer. 

“G’night, Draco.” 

When there was no answer he thought Draco had already fallen asleep, but then he heard Draco’s voice. “Night, Harry,” Draco whispered from across the bed. 

-x-

It was the best Harry had slept in ages, he figured it was because of the comfort of having another person, especially his best mate, so close. From that night on Harry continued to sleep in Draco’s bed. One of the two of them always came up with something that lead to Harry in Draco’s bed. They’d be listening to music, playing wizard chess or Exploding Snap. 

The night of the Malfoy Christmas party the three of them all fell into Draco’s bed, tipsy and exhausted. The drapes had been pulled closed and the room was full of a warm glow, created by the countless candles lit on every flat surface.

“You know you guys are my best friends,” Harry giggled. 

“Awh, Harry, I love you so much. I would hurt anyone who hurt you, you know that?” Pansy looked down at his face, her eyes wide, trying to convey how much she meant that. “You’re so sweet and sometimes you’re annoyingly stubborn but that’s okay because you’re such a good friend-” As she talked she mussed his hair up, she gasped. “You’re hair is so soft! Oh wow! Feel it Draco!”

Draco reached over shyly. Harry watched, his lips parted in a small o, as the other boy ran his fingers through Harry’s hair. Harry sighed, content, his eyes fell closed. When Draco pulled his hand away Harry whined. “Don’t stop.” Draco’s long fingers returned to his hair.

Draco’s cheeks were flushed pink but Harry figured it was from the alcohol. “Mother would probably be so upset if she knew I took her fancy expensive liquor,” Draco hummed, stroking Harry’s hair back from his forehead. Harry closed his eyes again and sunk further into the mattress. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so relaxed. 

“You know,” Pansy said, sighing as she lay down beside Harry. “You and Draco, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Harry settled his head in Draco’s lap so he could play with his hair more easily. Harry looked into Pansy’s eyes. “You know, you’re like one of my favourite people?”

“What about Draco?”

“Yeah, what about me?” Draco pouted. 

“You’re both my favourite people,” Harry laughed. 

Pansy gasped and sat up so fast that watching her made Harry’s head spin. “We should make friendship bracelets!”

Harry snorted. “Pansy how much did you have?”

Pansy rolled her eyes at him, hitting him playfully before hopping off the bed. She fished around in her bag for a minute before pulling out a couple Galleons. “Dobby!” The house elf popped into the room at being summoned and Pansy startled. “You frightened me!” she giggled, then she tried to make a serious face to hide her tipsiness. 

“Apologies Miss Parkinson. Dobby didn’t mean to frighten you. Hello to you too Young Mister Draco Malfoy, Mister Harry Potter.” The house elf waved enthusiastically. 

“Dobby, could you please take these and buy us a friendship making kit?”

“Yes, of course Miss Pansy Parkinson, Dobby will be back in a minute!” With that he popped away, not for a moment questioning the strange request.

Draco’s fingers strayed from Harry’s hair to trace one of Harry’s eyebrows. “You know he really likes you because ever since you helped him with making dinners that first Christmas you came here for my parents have been treating him better. Like they think if Harry bloody Potter is good to house elves they ought to be or something.” 

Harry’s face scrunched up. “What, were they bad to him before?”

Draco grimaced and bit his lower lip. “They weren’t the best. He used to be scared of us I think. He’s a lot happier now though. Most house elves enjoy helping their masters, it gives them purpose I think. What I wonder about is if they would still feel that way if it wasn’t what they were born and raised for.”

The thought of that made Harry uneasy. “We should ask Dobby when he gets back.”

Pansy skipped back to the bed and rejoined them. “Do you think thirteen is too young to take shots.”

“At least we’re doing it in a safe environment with friends,” Draco mused. “Besides, we’re only tipsy, it’s not like we’re drunk.”

The next morning Harry, Pansy and Draco woke up with headaches and surprisingly good friendship bracelets around their wrists. Harry was also missing a sock on his right foot.

When they went down to breakfast to find Mr Malfoy grumbling over his coffee about someone tricking him into freeing his house elf the trio shared a look and Harry quickly hid his sockless foot under his lap. 

-x-

Harry’s mood was greatly improved when he received a Firebolt for Christmas. Draco was weird about it at first, especially as they ruled out all the possible people it could have been from. (Most certainly not the Dursleys, not Dumbledore, he wouldn’t spend hundreds of Galleons on Harry and not Professor Lupin, if he’d had that much money he’d probably spend it on better robes) 

To his horror when Hermione found out she went to McGonagall who demanded to have the broom stripped down. To Harry’s understanding Ron was already in a foul mood with Hermione since her new cat, Crookshanks, had according to Ron, had it out for Scabbers, his rat since she got him before the school year started. Now Ron was barely talking to her (“How could she go to McGonagall...does she understand… the Firebolt is only the best broom there is!...have it stripped…Is she mad?!) 

What made him even more upset was that Pansy and Draco agreed! They all thought it was sent from Sirius Black as an attempt to jinx or hex him. To be fair it was probably the only half logical explanation as to where the broom came from but that didn’t mean Harry couldn’t be upset. 

From there things only got worse. For starters his Anti-Dementor lessons weren’t going half as well as he’d hoped they’d be going at this point. All he could produce was a vague shapeless silver shadow that was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. The first time had been the worst, having to listen to the sounds of his parents distressed last words. 

As the Quidditch match got closer and closer Harry knew he should buy a new broom, as it was likely he wouldn’t get his Firebolt back before the match even with Marcus Flint nagging Professor McGonagall. He and Ron would go to her after every Transfiguration class but she still wouldn’t let him have it back, each time saying there was this or that hex or curse that Professor Flitwick suspected.

Just as Harry was losing hope with both the Anti-Dementor lessons things started to look up just a bit. 

“I can have it back? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” said Professor McGonagall. She didn’t look too happy though Harry suspected it was because Gryffindor was out of the running for the cup for the eighth year in a row. Slytherin had a great chance of winning if they won, which Harry was determined to do.

He burst into Slytherin common room and his housemates immediately crowded around them. After ten or so minutes of having passed around the broom Harry went to sit with his friends by the fire. 

“Okay, so Harry we were just talking. Who do you think the hottest girl in our year is?” Theo asked, tossing him a pack of sherbert lemons. 

“That’d be Pansy of course,” Harry joked, slouching into the sofa beside Draco and ripping the package open.

“No, no! Pansy doesn’t count!” Theo protested as he opened a chocolate frog.

“And why not?” demanded Pansy, putting down the magazine she had open.

“Because you’re the obvious and easy answer.” Pansy seemed slightly skeptical but overall satisfied with that answer and went back to flipping through her Witches Weekly. 

Theo turned back to Harry as he bit into the frog. “Right then, so not including Pansy,” he said, chewing with his mouth partially open.

Harry felt caught off guard and popped a sherbert lemon into his mouth to give himself more time to think of an answer. He hadn't honestly thought of that too much. Sure, he thought some of the girls at Hogwarts were pretty he just didn’t have an automatic answer . “Er- I don’t know. I suppose Mandy Brockelhurst is rather fit?”

“That’s what I was saying,” Theodore nodded approvingly. “I think it’s a toss up between her and Lavender Brown.”

Blaise snorted as he chewed on a pumpkin pasty. “Lavender Brown is nutty though, she’s all into that Divination stuff.”

“Yeah, but she’s got a nice pair of-” Pansy coughed loudly, interrupting Theo who rolled his eyes and motioned to his chest (as if the other boys hadn’t already caught on to what he was getting at). 

“Forget Lavender,” Blaise snorted. “Mandy is way more attractive and less annoying.”

“I was actually thinking of asking out Megan Jones,” said Theo thoughtfully. 

“She’s in Ravenclaw right?” Harry thought he knew who Theo was talking about. 

“No, Hufflepuff.”

He had no idea who Theo was talking about but said, “Oh, her! Yeah, she’s hot.”

“What about you, Draco?” asked Blaise.

Harry had noticed Draco being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually if they were talking Draco had an opinion and he was very vocal about it, it was weird that Draco hadn’t spoken up. Harry felt the cushion beneath him shift as Draco fidgeted and pulled his legs up onto the sofa. 

“What about me?” he asked, sounding defensive.

“Who do you like?” Theo stretched his arms over his head. 

“No one,” Draco answered too quickly for it to be believable. Harry didn’t want to push him though because the topic seemed to be making Draco uncomfortable. The other boys didn’t seem to care, or maybe they just didn’t notice his discomfort in the first place. 

“Come ooooon!” Theo whined, leaning forward in his seat. 

“We won’t tell anyone,” Blaise promised. 

Draco stood up abruptly. “Stop being a bunch of pansies. I already told you, I don’t like anyone!” With a flush high on his cheeks, Draco stormed away, leaving the rest of the group shocked by his sudden outburst. 

“What’s got his knickers in a twist?” Blaise wondered aloud, eyebrows raised.

“Dunno,” said Harry. “ It’s probably something else that’s bothering him. I’ll go talk to him.” He pushed up from the sofa, meaning to follow after his friend. 

“Harry, don’t,” she said, standing and throwing her magazine down. “Let me talk to him.” Something about the tone of Pansy’s voice made Harry still.

He frowned. “He’s my best friend. I can’t just not talk to him when he’s obviously upset.” 

She winced but tried to hide it, looking down as she straightened her skirt. “Could you just trust me about this.”

Harry wanted to go to Draco, to talk to him and understand what was wrong but he also trusted Pansy and knew that she wanted to help too. He nodded and sat back down. Harry tried to go back to talking to the other boys and their conversation as she walked up to the dorms but found that he was just too distracted with worry over Draco. 

-x-

Draco paced the dormitory, back and forth, running his hands through his hair. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. He kicked his trunk hard but, of course, it did nothing but make his toes hurt. A choked sob rises up in his throat and he tries so hard to keep from making a sound as silent tears slip from his eyes. Sitting down on his bed he buries his face in his hands and cries softly. Pathetic. He’s so pathetic. 

He hears the door open and violently startles. Draco wipes at his face fast, but he knows it’s no use. His eyes are probably red from crying. He looks up to see Pansy’s worried face. At least it isn’t any of the boys. 

“Draco, talk to me,” She begs him, sitting beside him on his bed, her hand on his shoulder. He wants to shrug it off but resists. 

He shakes his head and wills words to come out of his mouth but he can’t find the right ones. He’s having a hard time even looking at her. Draco crosses his ankles and blinks his eyes hard, trying to not cry anymore. 

“Hey, Draco, look at me,” Pansy says, small fingers at his chin gently turn his face towards hers. He can’t help but meet her eyes and that just makes this harder. Her eyes are full of so much sympathy and understanding. Draco doesn’t understand that because she doesn’t even know what’s going on. He’s terrified because what if he tells her and she never looks at him like that ever again. What if he tells her and her expression changes to disgust, what if he tells her and she never looks at him without anything except contempt ever again. 

“Draco, please, you know you can tell me anything.”

He averts his eyes from hers. His eyes catch on a moving photo Harry has beside his bed of the three of them. They’re laughing. What if Pansy tells Harry? What if Harry’s disgusted? But he can’t just not tell them anymore. They’re his best friends. 

“I think- I think I like boys,” he whispers, looking into his lap.

Pansy laughs, but it doesn’t sound malicious. He looks up at her, confused. “I kind of thought so,” she says, smiling softly, her face full of so much warmth it makes something in Draco’s chest throb with relief. She pulls him into a hug and he squeezes back, sinking into her embrace. 

“How’d you know?” he mumbles into her shoulder. 

“I’ve seen you staring at Miles Bletchley after Quidditch games, which I understand, his ass does look fine in those pants. You also got quite flustered that time that blond sixth year what’s-his-name-Arlenwoods asked you about the new common room password. There was also the time-”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Draco said, feeling a flush rise on his cheeks. Then a thought occurred to him and he pulled away from Pansy's hug, a flash of worry spikes through his chest. “Do other people know?”

“The others aren’t half as observant as I am,” she replied flippantly, waving aside his worry. “Besides, if they thought they knew something I’d think they’d probably bring it up.”

He nodded. Pansy was probably right, she usually was about this sort of thing. 

“Draco?”

“Mm?” He hummed, distracted.

“Are you going to tell them?”

Draco buried his face in his hands again. He didn’t want to have to think about, let alone face or deal with any of this. “How could I? They’ll be weirded out by it, Pans,” he said, voice pained. 

“No, they won’t.”

“Can you promise me that?”

“You’re one of their best friends. They’d never turn their backs on you.” Draco wasn’t so certain. “You didn’t think I would, did you?” Draco could only shrug. How could he explain how terrified he’d been or how scared he was still. “Will you tell Harry?” She asked.

He curled his fingers into his bed cover, fisting the sheets. “I don’t know yet okay! Please just stop!” He exploded. He couldn’t help it. All the bottling up he’d done, that he had to continue to do, it was too much. “You can’t tell me for sure that he’d accept this part of me and I can’t lose him. So until I’m sure, no, I probably won’t tell him.”

Pansy nodded, understanding, and Draco tried to relax his tense shoulders. His whole body was stiff with stress. “I won’t tell anyone. Don’t worry,” Pansy reassured him, voice soothing as she took his hand between both of hers and squeezed it.

Draco swallowed down the lump that had risen up in his throat. “Merlin, Pans, what am I going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t think I like girls at all,” he confessed, twisting the coloured, string friendship bracelets from Harry and Pansy on his wrist.

“You think you’re all the way gay?” she tried to joke.

He let out a choked laugh. “Yeah, yeah, I think I might be.”

“Everything will work out.”

He pulled his hand out from between hers and wrapped his arms around himself. “But what do I tell my parents?”

“They’ll love you no matter what.”

“You know- you know they have more traditional views than most witches and wizards…”

“I also know they love you more than anything else in the world,” she argued. 

“Maybe- I don’t know- maybe I’m bisexual? Maybe I just haven’t found the right girl yet?”

“Maybe so.” He could tell she was unconvinced, that she knew he was just trying to convince himself. “Maybe not. Either way, I am with you, no matter what.”

“Thanks, Pans.” The words came out uneven and broken. He found he had the urge to cry again, for a different reason this time. He was so grateful to have her as a friend.

“No, thank you, for trusting me.”

That night when he was falling asleep he knew he had to tell Harry. He just had to wait and try to figure out how the other boy would respond. 

-x-

As annoying as it was every time Harry ended up in the hospital wing because he passed out from the presence of the Dementors he didn’t mind it quite as much anymore if only because Draco was always there when he woke up. Madam Pomfrey had been adamant at first that Draco not miss lessons but the boy had fought back fiercely until she’d given up. Now all she did was shake her head and tut when she saw him. 

“You really probably shouldn't miss classes,” Harry said, rubbing at his eyes. Merlin, he felt drained. 

Draco made a face and pulled up a chair. “Please, Potter, I’ve read ahead far enough. I won’t fall behind.”

Harry chuckled. “Of course you’ve read ahead.”

“Bloody hell these chairs are uncomfortable,” Draco complained. “They give my arse pins and needles.”

“Sit at the end of my bed then,” Harry suggested. 

“I’m wearing shoes.”

“So?”

“It’ll make the bed dirty.”

“Malfoy, please, don’t be so ridiculous.” Harry rolled his eyes. “It’s not like you’ve been traipsing through the forbidden forest. Your shoes aren’t covered in mud. Besides, it takes a flick of a wand to get rid of any small dirt you do get on the sheets.”

Conceding, Draco climbed up on the end of Harry’s bed. “So how are the Anti-Dementor lessons going with Lupin?”

“He’s trying to teach me how to produce a patronus.” At Draco’s expression of enthusiasm Harry went on, “I haven’t had much luck so far though so don’t get all excited.”

“You do know only powerful witches and wizards can produce a full corporeal patronus, right?” Draco told him. “Stop being so hard on yourself. Any success at all is monumental.”

“If I can’t ward off the Dementors I’m useless whenever they’re around.”

“You’re Harry Potter. You’ll figure it out.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Is that really your pep talk?” 

Draco pulled a face. “You’ve defeated Voldemort, what? three times now? You can handle some Dementors.”

Harry snorted at that. “Thanks for the encouragement, I guess?”

“You’re welcome.”

-x-

“Friends with a Malfoy?” Black croaked, lip curled when his eyes landed on Draco, who Harry had moved to protect with his body as the tall, dark haired, gaunt man had stepped out of his hug with Lupin and toward the five of them. “I don’t think James would have wanted that.”

Anger like he’d never felt before roared up in Harry. “YOU FUCKER! I DON”T THINK HE WOULD HAVE WANTED YOU TO BETRAY HIM AND MY MOTHER!” Harry yelled as he lunged at Black, but Draco and Pansy held him back. “LET ME GO! HE KILLED MY PARENTS AND I”M GOING TO KILL HIM!”

“I didn't kill your parents,” Black said. Harry was about to yell that he might as well have killed them by betraying them to Voldemort when Draco stepped forward.

“That’s funny,” Draco said, coolly. “He’d be upset about his son being friends with me because of my families traditional views, without even considering that perhaps mine are different, but it’s fine for him to be friends with a werewolf?” Harry’s lips parted as Draco’s eyes moved from Black’s face to Lupin’s. 

“What are you talking about?” Ron demanded from the bed he was keeled over. His leg was bent at an awful angle. He held a writhing Scabbers in his hands. 

Black laughed and Harry stared. The Daily Prophet was right, he’d gone mad in Azkaban. He looked absolutely unhinged. Lupin was watching Black, not with disgust or fear, but the way Harry knew he looked at Draco or vice versa because of photos. Like the closest of friends.

“I covered for you!” Hermione shrieked at Lupin, who’d helped Black to his feet and hugged him with deep affection. “Draco and I didn’t tell anyone! But all this time- you’ve been helping him!” 

Harry’s thoughts whirled with all the screaming and yelling. He felt as though nothing were adding up, like there were massive parts of a puzzle that he was missing and without them he couldn’t make out the full picture.

“No, Hermione, listen to me. Please, calm down!” Lupin shouted.

“You helped Black get into Hogwarts. You want Harry dead. You’ve been helping Black this whole time.” Harry had never heard Draco’s voice so dead and cold.

Harry stood in absolute disbelief as Lupin, the man who’d been helping him the whole year to defend himself against Dementors, the man who he’d felt safe and comfortable with, the man who’d been friends with his father, confessed that what Hermione and Draco accused him of was correct, that he was a werewolf. That was the least shocking thing that was explained that night of course. Because apparently he couldn’t catch a break. 

At arms length he held what he’d believed to be Ron’s rat, Scabbers, for the last three years by the tail. He squirmed furiously, trying to escape. Harry held tight and listened as Lupin stood in front of Sirius Black, defending the man, and explained that the rat between his fingers was not a rat at all but a wizard by the name of Peter Pettigrew.

He listened, shocked, as Lupin told him about how as students at Hogwarts his father, James, his godfather, Sirius and their friend, Pete, had all become illegal Animagi to keep him company during his transformations. A stag, a dog and a rat. 

Throughout the whole recounting Black snarled for him to hurry up with the story. 

Harry’s knees grew wobbly. The story made no sense at all. How could Scabbers be Pettigrew? But twelve years was a very long life for a rat, even a magic one. And Scabbers was missing a toe on his front paw. Just the way the only thing they’d been able to find of Peter had been a finger. Harry’s blood ran cold as everything Lupin and Black told them started to add up. Draco, Pansy, Hermione, Ron and Harry all exchanged looks of distrust and unease as Black explained how he’d tracked down Pettigrew, how he’d seen the picture of the Weasley’s in the Daily Prophet, how there, on Ron’s shoulder, had been Scabbers.

“- it was Peter who betrayed Lily and James, Harry-”

“NO IT WAS HIM!” Harry yelled, pointing at Black. “HE WAS THEIR SECRET KEEPER! HE BETRAYED THEM!”

But Black only shook his head and in a raspy voice explained how he’d convinced James and Lily to change their secret keeper to Peter. How Peter had faked his death and framed him. 

“Give me the rat,” Lupin said to Harry in a calm and collected voice. But his eyes were filled with something hard. 

“What are you going to do to him?” Ron demanded from the bed, his face twisted in pain from his probably broken leg. 

“Force him to show his true self.”

Seeing the distrust in Harry’s face Lupin said, “If he really is just a rat it won’t hurt him.”

Harry hesitated for only a moment before handing over the thrashing rat. Lupin took him and looked to Black. “Together?” Black nodded and stepped forward, holding up the wand he’d taken from Draco in the struggle when they’d first entered the Shrieking Shack. 

“One-Two-THREE!” A flash of blue left both of their wands and the five of them watched in horror as Ron’s rat writhed madly before there was another flash came and then like a fast forward video the rat transformed. First a head shot out, then limbs, and before long a short grubby man was standing before them where Scabbers had once been. He had discoloured pale skin, a balding scalp with little hair and ugly yellowed front teeth. 

Harry thought he might be sick as the fat little man groveled at Black and Lupin’s feet. He began to shake when Pettigrew approached him and his friends, trying to win their sympathy. He was disgusted and almost didn’t stop Black when he stepped forward to kill Pettigrew. But he did, and he told them they could take the shrivelled excuse of a man to the Dementors to receive the kiss, have his soul sucked from his body. 

“-then you can live, free,” he told Black. “It’s the only way. If you don’t you’ll have to run for the rest of your life. We all know you'll slip up, make a mistake, be caught one way or another. If we turn him over though, you’ll be a free man.”

Black considered this, his hallowed face looking for skeleton like than ever as he glared at Pettigrew. Finally, he nodded in agreement.

“No!” Pettigrew squealed shrilly. 

“Move aside, Harry,” Lupin said. Harry hesitated. “I’m only going to tie him up,” Lupin explained. Harry stepped back, felt Draco’s hand slip into his. The touch brought him great comfort and he relaxed a fraction. They all followed the floating, tied up, pitiful figure of Peter Pettigrew.

-x-

Harry sat on his bed, motionless, staring out the underground windows at the turquoise water beyond. The dormitory door opened and Harry’s eyes flicked to the door to see Draco, his eyes went back to the water. The other boy came and sat at the edge of his bed with him. 

“You have to stop beating yourself up.”

“I failed him.”

Harry felt Draco’s cool fingers, gentle at his chin, turning his face so he had to look into the other boys grey eyes. “No, you didn’t,” he insisted, voice firm. “Harry, Black is free now.”

“He’s on the run. That isn’t free.”

“But it’s a lot more free than being stuck in Azkaban.”

“Pettigrew escaped.”

“You know, a wizard saved by another owes him a life dept. Pettigrew owes you, he’s bonded to you.” 

Harry’s face twisted in revulsion. “I don’t want him bonded to me.”

“Don’t say that yet. You don’t know what’s going to happen over the next few years.” When Harry didn’t say anything else Draco went on, “That was really clever what you did. Summoning your Firebolt, for Black to fly away on.”

“He wanted me to stay with him,” Harry mumbled. 

Draco’s breath caught in his throat. “What?”

“He’s my Godfather. He asked me if I wanted to live with him instead of the Dursley’s once his name was cleared.” Harry’s heart was everywhere and nowhere all at once as confusing as that seemed. Gone from his chest where it felt like it had been ripped from, clogging his throat and sunk to his stomach. “That isn’t going to happen now.”

Draco’s hand went to his back where it rubbed circles, but he remained quiet, knowing there wasn’t anything he could say that could make up for the loss of the hope of that future he knew Harry had hoped for, to get away from his awful relatives. 

-x-

His mood on the train ride from Hogwarts started off dreary. He was not only disappointed that he wouldn’t get to live with Sirius but he was also upset that Lupin wouldn’t be returning the next year as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor because Snape “accidentally” let slip that he was a werewolf. 

“Snape is the biggest git in the whole bloody world. I’m going to strangle,” said Harry. 

“Cheer up, Harry,” Pansy told him, throwing her legs up over his. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing out the train window. Draco got up and opened it and a little owl flew in, landing in Harry’s lap. There was a letter addressed to him in the birds talons. Taking it and ripping it open he read: 

Dear Harry,

I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post. I am in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this owl falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubts about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.  
I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. I am planning to allow some Muggles to glimpse me soon, a long way from Hogwarts, so that the security on the castle will be lifted.  
There is something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt. Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me. I used your name but told them to take the gold from Gringotts vault number seven hundred and eleven - my own. Please consider it as thirteen birthdays' worth of presents from your godfather.  
I would also like to apologise for the fright I think I gave you that night last year when you left your uncle's house. I had only hoped to get a glimpse of you before starting my journey north, but I think the sight of me alarmed you.  
I am enclosing something else for you, which I think will make your next year at Hogwarts more enjoyable.  
If ever you need me, send word. Your owl will find me.  
I'll write again soon. Sirius  
P.S. I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat.

Inside the envelope was a second piece of parchment. He read it, re-read it, a huge grin spread across his face. 

I, Sirius Black, Harry Potter's godfather, hereby give him permission to visit Hogsmeade on weekends.

He showed both to Draco and Pansy. From there, his mood was greatly improved. 

“It’s summer!” Theo hollered as he threw open the compartment door and settled in beside Draco, who sat across from Harry. 

“I can’t believe I passed Divination,” Blaise said, following. “I barely did the homework for that class it was utter rubbish.”

“So, summer plans?” Theo asked. “What’s everyone got on?”

“I’m spending the summer with my Aunt in Greece,” Pansy said, lips pursed and eyes averted as she rooted around in a side bag and pulled out a magazine to look at. Harry thought she seemed a little off and the look he shared with Draco confirmed that he thought the same thing. He didn’t want to address it in front of Theo and Blaise though. 

“My mother just bought a new house in Poland so I suspect we’ll be spending most of our time there,” Blaise said, yawning. Harry wanted to laugh because of how flippant Blaise was about his mother buying a new house. He wondered if Blaise knew it was usual for most families to only own one house. 

“This summer is the Quidditch World Cup. I’ll write to you about pick up sooner to the day of, Harry,” Draco told him. 

“Wait, what?” Harry went wide eyed.

“Well, my father will get tickets. And your coming with us of course,” Draco said, as if they’d discussed this before now. 

“I’ll pay you back-”

“Don’t be silly.”

“Draco-”

“Harry,” Pansy cut him off. “Just accept and say thank you, darling”

Harry made a face. “I’ll leave the Galleons on your bed.”

Draco kicked Harry playfully and he kicked him back. They went back and forth like this for awhile as Theo and Blaise got a game of Exploding Snap started. Harry ended up with his head leaned against the compartment window wall, watching Draco watching him, with his feet pinned between both of Draco’s. 

Harry knew how hard Draco was on himself, how deeply he loved and cared for his friends, how much he doubted their love in return. His chest filled with determination to show the other boy how worthy he was. 

Harry wet his lips, his mouth felt suddenly very dry as the full force of how protective he felt toward Draco washed over him. It was stronger, he realised, than the protectiveness he felt for anyone else. The notion terrified him. Draco was the one he loved above all else, the one he’d kill for. 

Not wanting to face that right now he tried to distract himself with the casual conversation being passed around in the compartment between the rest of his friends. Unable to focus on that he instead thought of the expression he imagined would come to his aunt and uncles faces when he told them he had a godfather, a convicted murderer at large, who liked to check in on him to make sure he was happy.


	6. Ch. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the one with giggling french girls, harry's head being blown by draco speaking french and jealousy and denial on both sides

Fourth Year

“You didn’t enter?” 

”Draco, I spend every waking hour of the day with you,” Harry snapped, growing irritated. “When would I have had the chance to enter my name?!”

“Well sorry for asking,” Draco raised his hands in innocence. “It’s just I don’t understand how else your name was drawn!”

Harry threw his arms in the air. “You say that like I have some clue!” 

“Merlin’s saggy balls!” Pansy cursed (effectively silencing them both) and stood up from the sofa in the common room. “You two are atrocious. Harry didn’t enter his name, so now we move on, Draco,” she gave him a pointed look then turned to Harry (who rather wished she hadn’t. That look really was something fierce.), “and figure out who did.”

Draco spun around and started pacing. Harry hated when Draco started pacing. He hated watching him go back and forth, back and forth. How did it not make Draco dizzy? Just watching him do it made Harry’s head spin. “I can’t believe they’re actually making you do this. It’s obscene. You aren’t old enough!” 

“Tell that to them,” Harry scoffed, slumping back into a leather chair. 

“I did! Many times actually!” Draco exclaimed loudly, waving his arms around in the air wildly, startling a group of first years who promptly scurried off to their dorm. “My father will hear about this,” he started muttering under his breath to himself as he stalked toward their dormitory. “I’ll go write them a letter now. The ministry has to listen to reason…”

Harry shook his head at the retreating figure of his best mate. “He’s gone batty.”

“Oh, stop it Harry.” Pansy tossed a throw pillow in his direction. “He’s worried and honestly rightfully so. If you truly didn’t enter your name-” 

“I didn’t! I’ve told you a million times!” Harry said, impatiently, running a hand through his hair. Why did it feel like no one was listening to him? Did they honestly, genuinely think he wanted to compete in this tournament? What he really wanted was one year, just one bloody normal school year. He just wanted to go to boring classes and get in trouble for typical student things like being late or forgetting to do an assignment. Instead he got in trouble for all those things on top of whatever extra special dangerous plan where someone, usually Voldemort, tried to kill him. It wasn’t even fair that he got into trouble for that though because it was never his fault!

“-and I hear you, I do, but you’re name got in somehow. So what’s the most logical explanation?” Pansy asked with an expectant look on her face. Like he had any answers.

Harry floundered. “It’s a mistake?”

“OR! Someone else entered your name!” Pansy said triumphantly. 

Harry’s face twisted in confusion. “Why would someone do that?”

“People have died in the Triwizard Tournament before, as I’m sure you’ve heard-”

“Actually I hadn’t but thanks for letting me know.” Harry grit his teeth and slumped further into the sofa. 

“So the most likely scenario is someone, once again, wants to see you dead and is trying to kill you,” she explained.

“Right, of course. Always my favourite part of the year.”

Pansy grimaced and gave him an apologetic look. “I realize now I should have phrased that a little differently perhaps.”

“You think?”

“At least I'm being honest!”

The school year had only just started and already someone was trying to kill him. That didn’t usually happen until at least the spring semester. He was too tired to talk about this right now. “I’m gonna head to bed. Night Pans.”

“We’ll figure this out Harry! Just like we always do!”

-x-

“Could you please pass the Bouillabaisse?” 

“The what now?” asked Harry. The girl asking was obviously from Beauxbatons. Her french accent was thick and he’d never once in his life heard of the dish she’d asked him to pass. 

Her brows furrowed at his confusion. “To your right- the Bouillabaisse.” She sounded exasperated. 

“I don’t know what you’re ask-”

Draco reached across him, holding an unfamiliar dish. “Voici. désolé, il n'essaie pas de paraître impoli. C'est seulement qu'il n'a jamais entendu parler de Bouillabaisse.” (here you go. sorry, he is not trying to come off as rude. It is only that he has never heard of Bouillabaisse)

Harry’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as unfamiliar words fell from Draco’s lips. French. He must be speaking french. He couldn’t help but stare. Since when? What? He found himself having a hard time stringing thoughts together. He was instead weirdly fixated.

“Ah! Tu parle français? Ton accent est charmant!” (ah! you speak french? your accent is lovely!) the girl exclaimed. Harry had no idea what she was saying whatsoever but her whole face lit up as her and Draco blathered on for the rest of the meal. 

Harry blinked hard, making himself look away. Turning to Pansy, feeling grumpy for seemingly no reason in particular, he grumbled, “Since when can Draco speak french?”

“His mother’s family is french so I suspect most of his life- “ she told him, spooning peas onto her plate. “Would you stop glaring at that poor girl?”

“I’m not glaring.” Harry turned his eyes down to his mashed potatoes and angrily shoved a forkful into his mouth.

“You were,” she insisted. “ What did she ever do to you?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t glaring.”

“Alright, you nutter, whatever you say.”

Harry snorted and stabbed at his casserole. “That’s rich coming from you.”

“What?” 

He knew he was being immature, that he was being a total git and that it’d be best to shut his mouth but he found himself having a hard time keeping his mouth shut. “Calling me a nutter.” 

“Harry, honey, you aren’t making sense.”

“Don’t call me a nutter when you’re hair looks like that.” Harry glanced up from his food but looked back down quickly because of the look Pansy was giving him. He hated when her eyes were all pointy like that at him. Not that he maybe didn’t deserve it right now.

“Harry, you should know better than to make rude remarks about a girls hair at dinner. Honestly.” Her tone was hard and he knew he’d have to do something extra to make up for this little outburst.

“I’m just saying, all the clips are a little much, kinda naff and tacky, don’t you think-”

“I don’t actually,” She interrupted, teeth grit. “I like them. Just because you’re emotionally constipated and being an inexplicable prick right now doesn’t mean you have to go after my hairstyle.”

Harry found himself instinctually wanting to turn to Draco to ask for his opinion but when he did he found his best mate instead preoccupied with a handful of giggling french girls.

-x-

Draco watched as Harry rounded the corner, laughing at something Cedric Diggory was telling him. Jealousy flashed through him. He mentally berated himself. Harry was allowed to talk to other people. He had to stop being weird. 

“Alright, well I’ll see you around, Potter,” Diggory said waving. Stupid smile. Stupid hair. Draco had better hair than that didn’t he?

“See you!” Harry turned to face Draco as they made their way to charms. “Hey, what’s new and interesting?”

“Since when are you so chummy with Diggory?” 

Surprise came over Harry’s face. “Woah, where’s this coming from?”

“What?”

“Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry!” Draco clutched the strap of his leather bag a little tighter so it dug into his palms, distracting him from the flashes of what definitely were not unreasonable anger going through his chest.

“Okay, so why do you sound so bitter about me spending time with Cedric?”

“Just drop it would you. I’m not angry and I don’t sound bitter.”

Just then two Beauxbatons girls walked by. One was the girl from dinner a few nights ago and the other was a very pretty girl with long, thick, curly, dair hair and olive skin. “Claudette, c'est le garçon dont je te parlais! Il va à l'école ici et parle français!” (Claudette, this is the boy I was telling you about! he goes to school here and speaks french!)

“Bonjour, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer. Je suis Claudette Bernard.” (it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Claudette Bernard) The girl extended her hand to Draco. Harry watched, internally seething, as Draco pressed his lips lightly to the top of the hand she’d extended. 

“Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. Et s'il vous plaît, le plaisir est tout pour moi.” (Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. And please, the pleasure is all mine.)

Harry was torn between wanting to understand what Draco was saying and wanting to cover his ears and storm away like a child. Merlin, he needed to grow up. But when Draco and the two girls continued to talk in french like Harry wasn’t even there he got impatient.

“I’ll see you later,” he muttered to Draco before walking, definitely not storming, away.

-x-  
“Potter, what the fuck?” 

“How eloquently put, Malfoy,” Harry grunted. 

Draco stood in the doorway of the dorm room, unable to move from where he was frozen staring. “Why, pray tell, are you doing push ups on the floor of our dormitory?”

Theo wolf whistles and cackles as he passes Draco on his way in, “Nice abs Potter!” 

Harry laughs and pushes himself up, muscles rippling. He stands and takes a long drink of water. “Thought I’d try and stay in shape a bit since they got rid of Quidditch this year, what with the Triwizard Tournament and all.”

The lungs do the breathing right? Where the fuck have his lungs gone? 

But this is just Harry, why does Draco feel this way. A feeling of heavy dread settles over Draco as realization hits him over the head. No no no no no. Harry’s his best friend, just his best friend. They’re close, sure, like friends are. His heart is pounding. Merlin, why did Harry have to go and get buff. Then Harry’s eyes meet his and Draco knows with sinking certainty. Nope. No way. He’s just a closeted gay harmonal teenager. That’s what this is. He’ll just hook up with some random guy in a bathroom. That’s all he needs. There’s no way he has feelings for Harry.

-x-

“I don’t like that Moody character,” Draco said, scowling as they left Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

Harry felt rejuvenated. It’d been awhile since he’d felt so awake in class. “Why, he seems to be a good teacher? Kinda intense but the guy’s brilliant?” 

“I’m not saying he isn’t..” Draco searched for the right word. “Talented. But something’s off about him. Trust me.”

“I do.” 

A look passed between them and Harry was filled with warmth. Students milled around them and Harry was filled with the urge to do what Pansy did occasionally so they didn’t lose each other between classes and link arms. But he couldn’t do that.. It’d be odd if he did it, right?

“Harry! Draco!” Theo came bounding up between them, knocking into their shoulders. Harry gripped his books a little more tightly so they didn’t fall out of his arms. “Have you gotten dates to the Yule Ball yet?”

Yikes, the Yule Ball. Just the thought of the event made Harry shudder. “Nope, neither of us-”

“Well..I’m actually going with Claudette,” said Draco.

Harry pulled his books to his chest tightly, a wave of disorientation passing through him. “What? That random girl from a few days ago?”

“Yeah, we’ve been hanging out a bit. She’s actually really nice. I asked her a couple days ago.”

A heavy feeling settled in Harry’s stomach and he swallowed hard. “Oh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” he forced a laugh. “Just thought we were in the same boat. Guess I better get a date soon then, huh?”

Draco was giving him a strange look. “Probably.”

“Before all the decent ones are gone.” His skin felt uncomfortable, tingly. Why did his skin feel tingly? That wasn’t a normal skin feeling. He reached up and adjusted his tie. Desperate to pertain some image of normalcy he asked, “So, who’d you ask Theo?”

“Megan Jones, from Hufflepuff,” Theo announced, chest puffed out. “ I finally worked up the nerve.”

Draco nodded approvingly. “Proud of you.”

Theo smirked then turned to him. “So who do you think you’ll ask Harry?”

“Dunno,” he chuckled nervously. 

“Maybe a Beauxbatons girl?” 

“Maybe.” Not likely.

Merlin, who was he going to ask?

-x-

Harry had developed a habit of taking his cloak of invisibility and the Marauders Map for a stroll down the corridors when he couldn’t sleep at night, a habit he was aware drove Draco insane. That night he went out just for that reason. 

Okay, so maybe he also needed to figure out who he was going to take to the Ball but the hiss of disapproval that came from Draco’s four poster bed about it being an ungodly hour and that he should go back to bed was incredibly satisfying. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to get back at Draco, he hadn’t done anything. Harry supposed, as he wandered with his wand out, lighting the way as he wandered down the halls, that he’d figured that if he didn’t have a date to the ball..and if Draco hadn’t had a date..they could have gone together- as friends of course. But now Draco had a date so Harry would look like a lazy sod if he didn’t have one too.

Harry glanced down at the map to check that no teachers were up ahead and had a heart attack when he saw Filch’s name. Scrambling back the way he came, Harry pelted back to Slytherin common room. He was on his way back up to his dorm room when he heard a sniffle from one of the massive arm chairs by the fire. Figuring he could stay up a bit longer he took a peak.

“What’s wrong, Pans?”

The girl wiped away at her eyes quickly, trying, Harry suspected, to hide that she’d been crying. “Oh, it’s nothing!”

This obviously wasn’t true. Harry had never seen Pansy cry before. Ever. He’d seen each and every single one of his other friends cry at least once. Draco over not being able to find the pair to a very specific set of socks he apparently just had to wear despite him owning a plethora of other socks. Another time over not having anymore of the facial cleanser he used at night before bed. He’d cried about clogged pores and oily skin. The strangest time might have been when he’d yelled at Harry to kill a spider then cried when he did. Blaise when he was telling them all at a meal, as they ate steak, that cows had friends and that they mourned one another when they died. He’d been fine until later that night. Harry found him flopped over in bed crying and laughing at himself about the “poor cows”. Theo had cried when he rolled a joint he said looked “funny”. Whatever that meant. Come to think of it Theo cried a lot when he was high. About really weird stuff. Pansy on the other hand, he had never seen cry. This, unlike most of what he’d seen his other friends cried about, seemed important.

“Pans…” She was a mess, dark black hair in her face, nose all pink and runny. Harry squished into the armchair beside her and pulled her into a bone crushing hug.

“I think my parents are getting a divorce.” Her voice was all nasally from the snot clogging her nose and Harry just wanted to help but he felt so useless and didn’t know how. He leaned back to give her some breathing room. 

“Why?”

“They’ve been trying to hide it from me but, well, it’s the reason I think they made me stay at my aunt’s in Greece last summer. So I wouldn’t see. But they don't even live together anymore. My mum stays in one house, my dad in another half way across the world.”

Harry brushed her long hair back from her face. “I’m so sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make anything easier please promise you’ll let me know ?”

“Oh, Harry, you’re so wonderful.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “You’ve always been such a sweetheart. I’m shocked you don’t already have a date to the Yule Ball. I thought for sure you’d have one weeks ago. I thought I would too but that's a whole other matter.” She sniffled, nose still blocked up. Harry wished he had some tissues on him. 

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m kinda closed off. I think people think I think I’m aloof? You know, stuck up?” 

“That’s bollocks!” Harry protested. He wouldn’t let her say those things about herself. 

“S’not!” She cried.

An idea came to him. “Do you want to go with me?”

Pansy looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “Really?”

“Of course, Pans. You’re wonderful,” he said, smiling down at her as he wiped away the fresh tears on her cheeks. “The only reason anyone might think any of those things about you is because they don’t know you. That’s their loss.”

She gave him a watery smile. “I’d love to go to the Ball with you, Harry.”

-x-

Harry and Draco sat across from one another at the long wooden table in the Slytherin common room one winter afternoon, trying to get through another bloody long essay set by McGonagall. The atmosphere in the room was one of excitement. The winter break was fast approaching and that meant so was the Yule Ball. Harry couldn’t understand what the fuss was about. It was just a bit of food and dancing. Why everyone was so worked up about putting stuffy clothes on was beyond him. He told Draco as much and the other boy chuckled warmly. 

“Aren't you glad I make you take those dance lessons with me when you come to the manor?” 

Harry snorted. “Definitely. I’d trip over my feet otherwise. It’d be a spectacle, what a nightmare.”

“Maybe for you. Great fun for the rest of us.” Draco’s tone turned thoughtful. “Say, I can ask Claudette if she’s got any friends you could ask?”

That name made Harry’s insides roil unpleasantly. He reasoned with himself that he wasn’t being fair. Claudette was a perfectly nice girl. He still couldn’t figure out why just the mention of her made him upset. “Come again?”

“You know, since you haven’t got a date to the ball?”

“I have got a date.”

Draco looked up from writing his essay. A sudden coldness came over him. “Since when?”

“Like a week ago?” Harry shrugged casually, fiddling with his quill.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Draco asked disbelieving. Harry just shrugged again. “Who is it then?” 

“Pansy.”

Draco gave a quick bark of laughter. “Pansy. Are you joking?” Why did he feel so shaky?

Harry’s brow furrowed. “Why would I be joking?”

“Well you’re going as friends, right?”

“I mean, I’d guess so.” 

Draco’s seemed to relax a little. Merlin, he really needed to get a grip. 

-x-

Harry huffed in annoyance and moaned. 

“Oh, don’t be so pathetic, Potter.” Draco took his cufflinks from him. “Let me do that.”

“You look good Malfoy,” Harry said cheekily. This brought a blush to Draco's face.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.”

The Yule Ball was a splendid affair. Everything was of the theme of a shimmering magical snowfall in the Great Hall. Glittering white crystal icicles hung from the ceiling, sparkling white lights draped around columns, glowing orbs hung in mid air. 

Pansy swept down the stairs, dressed in an elaborate gold, detailed dress with a plunging v neck and sheer sleeves, covered in blooming gold flowers and embroidered foliage. Her ink black hair pinned up, showing off her long neck, pale collar and dangling gold earrings. 

“You look lovely,” Harry told her. 

“You look dashing. Your hair is still it’s usual birds nest though,” Pansy said laughing, running her hands through it. 

Draco cleared his throat. “Ah, there’s Claudette.” 

Harry turned to see the girl enter in a deep red gown a tight bodice that accentuated her curves and modest neckline. Her jewellery was big and shiny with large black gemstones glistening at their centres. Her dark hair was swept back in a high ponytail. Claudette had rouge on her cheeks, making them look flushed, and red lipstick.

“Draco! Tu avez l'air formidable, vraiment chic.” She kissed both his cheeks as Draco kissed hers. Harry turned away. 

“Come on, Pansy.” They found McGonagall who wanted them to stand at the Great Hall entrance with the rest of the competitors. 

The dancing turned out to be a lot more fun than Harry had thought. Dancing with Pansy wasn’t stiff or uncomfortable like dancing with anyone else had been, it was light and easy and he laughed the whole time. They leaned on each other for support as they giggled into each others shoulders and told jokes. 

A couple times Harry saw Draco dancing with Claudette, spinning her around on the dance floor so her dress twirled up. When this happened he’d pull Pansy closer and whisper something funny in her ear. 

The food was good and the music was even better. Later on in the night when his feet hurt and his cheeks were sore from laughing and smiling so much he went to get him and Pansy drinks. There was nothing alcoholic of course but there was a bowl of punch at a table with goblets nearby. 

“Harry?” 

He turned to see Draco apparently doing the same thing as him, getting drinks. But when he saw Draco he froze, there was red lipstick marks all over his face. Something burned in his gut.  
“You’ve got a little something,” Harry said, gesturing to his own face, eyes downcast. 

Draco rubbed at his cheeks, his fingers came away red. “Oh.”

Harry quickly filled two goblets with punch. As he was walking away, he heard Draco saying something else but pretended to not hear and kept walking away. When he got back to Pansy he gave her one of the goblets, both of them downed the contents quickly before they returned to the dancefloor. Harry had never tried to dance a feeling away before but tonight he tried. There was an ugly overwhelming feeling spreading through him and he blamed it on Claudette. Everything had been fine before she showed up. But Draco was happy. That was what was most important. So he had to get rid of the cold ugly feeling she made him feel.

Just then the music slowed down and Pansy slid her arms around his neck. Harry tensed up, he’d never done much slow dancing before. The tension eased from his body before long though, turned out there wasn’t much to it. Slow dancing was mostly just swaying back and forth with your arms around another person. 

His eyes scanned the dancefloor and landed on Draco and Claudette. In the dark he could barely make out ones limbs from the other. Tearing his eyes away he looked at Pansy instead. Her dark eye makeup really made her eyes sparkle, he told her as much. This made her smile. 

Then she was kissing him. It felt....wet. Warm. This was his first. He’d always worried it would be gross and sticky or that he wouldn’t know what to do. This was nice. The music and the way their lips moved against each other lulled him into a fuzzy state and he lost track of everything else. 

-x-

Harry woke up the next morning in nothing but his underwear. When he crawled out of bed he saw his clothes strewn around the room. It’d been really late the night before when he’d finally extracted himself from Pansy and stumbled, half asleep, to the dormitory. 

“Late night?” A voice drawled. Whirling around he saw Draco who was sitting up in bed, arms stretched out. A pop came when the boy cracked his back. Harry winced at the sound. Draco’s usually carefully coiffed hair was all over the place and he had the urge to smooth it back. 

“Mm,” Harry grunted, purposefully turning away and shoving his glasses up his nose. 

A loud groan came from Theo’s bed, signalling his conscious state. The boy shoved back his hangings and stumbled to the bathroom. The sound of urine hitting the water could be heard as Theo had so thoughtfully left the bathroom door open.

“Shut the bleeding door!” Draco moaned, chucking a pillow at Theo. 

“Jeez, you look like shit, Nott,” Harry told him when he exited the bathroom.

“Looked in a mirror yourself yet, Potter?”

Blaise shoved open his hangings and stuck his head own. “Shut up you prats. It’s like the ass crack of dawn, what are you doing up?”

“Breakfast.”

Blaise considered then grunted his approval and slid out of bed. “Anyone score last night?”

“Huh?” Harry looked around for a shirt.

“With a girl.”

“What, like sex?”

Blaise’s laugh was raspy in the morning. “Nah, nevermind, dumb question. None of you poofs were that lucky. I’d be surprised if any of you got further than a kiss.”

“Well then you’ll be pleasantly shocked.” Theo wiggled his brows. 

“Megan gave you a blowey?” Blaise looked shocked. 

Theo scoffed. “No, not me-”

“She gave another guy a blowey?” 

“Piss off.” Theo shucked a shoe at Blaise. “No, Potter and Parkinson got hot and messy last night.”

All the eyes in the dormitory swung to Harry. 

“You guys didn’t do it did you?” Draco looked sick.

“Thanks a lot Theo,” Harry said sarcastically, pulling pants on. “And no, we didn’t.”

“Then what?”

He felt his cheeks burn bright. “Made out a bit.”

“A bit?”

Socks. Where were all of his socks? “Maybe more than a bit.”

Blaise wolf whistled. “Get it, Potter. Didn’t know if you had it in you.”

Harry felt himself flush even deeper. “I’m going down for breakfast while you wankers get over the fact that Pansy and I swapped spit.” Draco made a choking sound. “Later girls.”

-x-

That afternoon they’d all spent a bit of time knocking about in an abandoned classroom. The cool winter air from a sticky broken window made the room chilly and Harry leant Pansy his sweater for her next class after lunch. 

“Thank you,” she kissed him and hurried off so she wouldn’t be late.

On their way to their next class Draco asked, “So, you and Pansy, you’re a thing now?”

“I guess so.” When Draco didn’t answer and refused to look at him, staring downward, Harry huffed. “Why are you mad at me?’

“I’m not,” Draco said, words clipped, expression pinched. “Merlin, why does it feel like we keep having this conversation.” 

“Because you’re mad at me! All the time!” Harry said, throwing his hands up.

Draco’s whole body was rigid. “I’m not.”

Unable to deal with this at the moment Harry sped up so they wouldn’t have to walk to class together. If Draco wanted to be a baby, fine. Let him.

-x-

The next couple weeks were a whirlwind of classes and making out with Pansy. He and draco weren’t exactly fighting but they weren’t really talking either. He got a letter from Sirius which brightened his mood but whenever he saw Draco with Claudette he got angry all over again. Hormones. It was just shifting hormones. Teenage boys typically got angry over stupid stuff because of testosterone and shit, right?

-x-

Draco lay on Claudette’s bed beside her. The inside of the Beauxbatons carriage was similar to wizard tents in the sense that it was a lot more on the inside than the outside suggested. On the outside it was just a carriage, the inside was a massive room with thick swaths of coloured fabric dividing off sleeping areas. There was no one else in the carriage right now so it was just the two of them. 

“What’s on your mind, Draco?” she asked in french. That was one of the nice things he enjoyed about hanging out with Claudette, getting to practice his french. 

“There’s something I should probably tell you,” he told her, consciously trying to relax his posture.

She sat up a bit, leaning on her elbow for support. “What?”

He swallowed down his fear. “I’m gay.”

Claudette laughed and rolled onto her back on the bed. Draco chewed his lip, not really sure how to respond to that. Claudette sat back up, all the way this time and pulled her legs under her so they were crossed. She reached out to Draco and looked him in the eye. “I know.”

“You do?”

She nodded and twirled a strand of curling dark hair between her fingers.. “Your boyfriend is a jealous one.”

Draco blanked. “My... boyfriend?” 

“Potter, he always gets so moody when I’m around,” she giggled. “I was pleasantly surprised he was even alright with you taking me to the Ball.”

Draco scrambled to sit up. “I’m not- Potter isn’t my- Harry and I aren’t dating!” He couldn’t figure out why she would think that.

“You aren’t? But you were the person he retrieved in the second ask? From the lake?”

“We’re best friends!”

“Then...but of course!” She said, like something was occuring to her, she collapsed in a fit of laughter.

“Claudette! What is it?” Draco demanded, flabbergasted. 

“Oh you boys are so sweet and naive. You should tell him you like him Draco.”

“I don’t like him! That’s absurd!”

“Not based on the way you look at him,” she said, matter of factly. 

“The way I look at him, like a best friend?” 

“Ah, so that’s the kind of situation this is,” Claudette said wisely. 

“WHAT?” Merlin, was Draco ever confused right now. He felt like there was something lost on him.

“He’s your best friend and you’ve developed feelings for him. You’re afraid he won’t feel the same way towards you. Or worse, that he won’t want to even be friends if you tell him.”

“No- I’m- I’m not,” Draco said weakly. But things were starting to add up and click into place and with sudden clarity he realized that’s exactly what was going on. 

Claudette put her hands on his shoulders. “Tell him.” It sounded so easy when she said it like that. 

“No no no no no.” Draco buried his head in his hands, between his knees. He couldn’t like Harry and he told Claudette as much. 

“Why not? He isn’t against gay people is he?”

“No, I mean, I don’t know for sure but he’s very open about people and their differences and treating everyone the same blah blah blah.” Draco pulled at his hair in frustration. Of course he had to be gay and of course he had to fall for the one person he couldn’t.

“Then what’s the problem?

“I can’t like him! He’s my best friend!” She stared at him, expression blank. “Things would change between us!” Panic was rising up in him, he wiped at his forehead suddenly feeling hot. “Besides, I can’t tell him. He doesn’t like me back.”

“How do you know?”

“He just doesn’t.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

“Better than being wrong and having him never talk to me again.”

“Is that really what would happen?”

“No,” Draco said miserably. “Harry’s too good a person. He wouldn’t treat me any differently. But it’s so much easier now, when I’m still able to pretend that I have a chance.”

“So what will you do?”

“Maybe in a little while it’ll go away? Merlin, I don’t know, this is so inconvenient,” Draco moaned, bringing a pillow over his face and resisting the urge to scream into it.

“Our feelings are rarely considerate of what is convenient for us.”

-x-

Harry looked up from where he was playing a quiet game of wizards chess with Theo in the library (alright, so it wasn’t so quiet. Madam Pince had already given them sharp shushes and the murder look a couple times and Harry knew they were on thin ice), Blaise and Pansy sat with them. Draco was walking toward the group of them. He looked good in a green sweater and dark tight jeans.

“Where have you been?” Harry asked.

Draco pulled out a chair beside Theo and sat down. “Around.”

“How mysterious,” Harry teased, kicking his shin under the table. 

“Look,” Blaise held out a pin and snickered. “Potter can suck instead of Potter sucks. Is that better?”

Theo roared with laughter and snatched the pin from Blaise, attaching it to the front of his shirt.

“Why do you have to make them at all?” Harry sighed loudly and moved one of his knights. 

“I’m trying to make a profit.”

“Off my pain in the tournament?”

“Might as well.”

“You really suck at this game, Theodore,” Pansy frowned over her book at the chessboard containing significantly more of Harry’s pieces.

“Well you don’t have to be a prat about it,” Theo said as he made perhaps his worst move yet.

“I can’t watch anymore.” Blaise stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Anyone else coming?”

“Nah, I’ve got an essay to write for herbology.” Draco pulled out some parchment and a quill.

“Harry, darling, it’s just too painful. Besides, I have to write the same essay but all my things are up in my rooms.” Pansy stood and pushed in her chair. 

“Can we just call it quits?” asked Theo, letting his head rest on his knuckles, cheeks squished. “Say you won?”

Harry laughed. “Sure thing mate.”

“Nice losing to you.”

“Anytime,” Harry said as they jokingly shook hands. “I’ll stay with Draco here. He’ll make sure I actually write my essay instead of procrastinating.”

“I can read it over for you tonight,” Pansy told him, kissing his cheek.

When the others left Harry pulled out his things. 

“You’ll read it for me first right?” Harry asked Draco. “Because we both love Pansy but we both know she knows fuck all about herbology.”

Draco grinned because it was true. “Sure, I will.”

Ten minutes later, when they both had essay outlines, Harry spoke up.

“Remember that time you came to the manor for Christmas in first year? And we accidentally got tipsy with the eggnog?”

“Kinda random?” Draco asked as he finished his introduction.

Harry snorted. “And then less accidentally the next morning?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be keeping you from procrastinating? This is procrastinating, Potter.”

Harry sighed but actually started working. Draco glanced over a couple minutes later to see harry gnawing on the top of his quill and almost choked on his own spit. Clearing his throat he said, “So uh, I heard Ethan Colestruckle is gay?” WOOOOOW suuuuuuper discreet. He inwardly cringed at how obvious that was. 

“Really?” Harry didn’t even look up from his essay. 

“Yup.”

“Cool.”

Well that seemed like a pretty chill response. Draco wasn’t sure what he'd been expected but that hadn’t exactly been it. “That’s it?”

Harry finally looked up. “What do you mean?”

“You don’t think it’s a big deal?”

“No? Why would it be a big deal?” The other boys glasses were sliding down his nose and Draco felt the urge to reach over and push them back up but resisted.

“Ethan isn’t actually gay. I made that up to see how you’d react.,” Draco confessed.

Harry’s head tilted to the side. “Okay? Why?”

“Because I’m actually the one who’s gay?”

“You are?”

“Yes.” Draco waited for something to explode or for the world to end. Neither of those things or anything of that scale occurred. 

Harry’s brows drew together. “I thought you liked Claudette?”

“I do like her, as a friend.”

“But at the Yule Ball you had her lipstick all over your face?” Harry looked completely perplexed and lost.

“Er- because the french have that greeting where you kiss each others cheeks? And just about all the girls I’ve met from Beauxbatons wore lipstick?”

Harry looked down at his paper, then at Draco, then back to his paper and put down his quill. “Cool cool cool. That’s cool. Cool for you.”

Draco stared at him, unimpressed, while his heart hammered in his chest. “You’re being weird.”

“I am not.”

He sighed. Okay, this was the less chill part he’d been expecting. Harry was still sitting here though instead of storming away and he hadn’t thrown anything or yelled yet so this situation was already better than three fourths of the scenarios he’d imagined would take place. “Why are you being weird, Potter?”

Harry chuckled nervously. “Didn’t know you were gay is all.”

“Does it matter?”

“Huh?”

Draco narrowed his eyes. “Are you gonna keep being weird because I’m gay?”

The other boy pushed his glasses up his nose and ran his hands through his hair. “Of course not! I’m cool, it’s cool, you being gay is-”

He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the arm of the chair so hard his knuckles went white. “I swear Potter if you say cool one more time.”

“I like that you’re not dating Claudette.”

Draco remembered what Claudette had said before. How did he not see it? “You were acting so jealous.”

“I was not!” Harry exclaimed.

“You were a total tosser about it!” Draco sniggered. “Every time I brought up Claudette you got prickly and rude!”

Harry rolled his eyes, pursed his lips. Then an amused look entered his eyes. making Draco feel uneasy, and Harry smirked. “You know what’s really fucking hot?”

That got Draco’s attention but he tried to pretend it didn’t. “I don’t actually-”

“When you speak french.”

What. The. Fuck. “You can’t just say stuff like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because- because people will think you’re a poof.”

“So what?” Harry challenged. 

“Well you’re not!” Draco sputtered. “You’re also dating Pansy.”

Harry lost some of his defiance. “Oh yeah.”

“Yeah, ‘oh yeah.’”

“I still think it’s hot,” Harry said, going back to writing his essay, as if what he’d just said wasn’t giving Draco a cross between an aneurysm and a heart attack.

-x-

It was a few nights before the third task and it was safe to say that Harry was stressed. He felt like he was going to come out of his skin. It was late and he was exhausted and he wanted to sleep so badly but couldn’t for the life of him. Harry had been irritated the last few days because he only managed to fall asleep hours past his roomates when it was as Blaise usually called the hours “the ass crack of dawn”. Ready to smother himself with a pillow a desperate idea came to mind. Theo, of course it had been Theo, had told him about how jerking off could help lower stress and relax. He’d heard the other boys do it behind their hangings some nights when they forgot a silencing charm. It didn’t seem like there was all that much to it. 

Hesitantly, Harry reached past the elastic band of his boxers and grasped himself. For awhile it wasn’t very exciting, stroking himself and staring up at the ceiling but after a couple minutes of this a tingling started and he feels himself hardening. 

Of course he’s masturbated before but it’s usually been a quick and rushed affair in the shower to make it go away fast before lessons. It’s always been an inconvenience. Now he’s filled with an excited rush, a heated tingling, every stroke felt good. 

A thought occurred to him as his hand pumped himself. Theo told him that masturbation was usually better while fantasising. 

“Fantasising?”

“Yeah, like imagine your doing a girl, or she’s sucking you off or something. Whatever gets you off.”

Harry shoved Theo’s voice out of his head and tried to imagine a naked girl. He’d seen a few busty women in Blaise’s magazines he thought he’d hidden well and tried to imagine them in numerous scenarios but found they did very little. Harry tried a few girls he knew, hoping maybe that would do more but Megan Jones on her knees, Hannah Abbott riding him and Lavender Brown under him did nothing for him. Then it came to him. Pansy. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of his girlfriend before? He squeezed his eyes tight and tried to imagine her hand jerking him off instead of his own. Imagined her tongue on him. Imagined himself in her. He sighed, frustrated, when that didn’t work either. Maybe masturbation just wasn’t his thing. 

Harry heard a cough from Draco’s bed and froze. He’d remembered to put up silencing charms right? Draco wouldn’t hear him? 

Suddenly his cock twitched in his hand and he sucked in a breath. Draco’s smirking, cocky, arrogant, face swam to the forefront of his mind and his hand sped up. The thought of the other boys breath on his neck, licking, sucking, kissing. Just that thought was enough for the heat in his chest to liquefy and pool south. 

Moaning, Harry was a pulsing, throbbing mess. Then he came and stars filled his vision. 

He lay in bed, motionless, as he caught his breath. Harry felt totally drained and let himself sink heavily into the sheets, relaxing completely. Then the reality of what had just happened dawned on him. He’d just come at the thought of his best friend. Panic seized him and ruined his ability to marinate in the wonderful feeling he’d just achieved. It’s because we have such a close friendship, Harry tried to reason with himself. 

He slept restlessly.


	7. Ch. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the one that's 20k words long so strap in for a long one. go to the bathroom, grab a snack, don't start it if it's too late and you have to wake up early. kissing statues, truth or dare, cuff links, two original characters, jealousy, confessions and a gratuitous nectarine scene

Fifth Year

Draco slid the compartment door open and immediately regretted it. Harry looked up from where he had his head in Pansy’s lap. “Hey gorgeous.”

Refusing to be put off by the teasing Draco countered, “Hey handsome.” When he went to close the compartment door Harry sat up all the way. 

“Where are you going?”

Draco rearranged his grip on his heavy trunk handle. “To find another compartment.”

“What, why?” Harry ran a hand through his ever messy hair and Draco promptly tore his eyes away. He hated how whenever Harry ran his hands through his hair it made it look like he’d just had a rough shag.

“I don’t want to watch you two and your disgusting public displays of affection.” Draco rolled his eyes and moved to leave again but Harry hopped up and grabbed Draco’s trunk from him. 

“Don’t be silly. We’ll be well behaved, won’t we Pans?” He said as he lifted Draco’s trunk over his head to put it in the storage area. His shirt slid up an inch showing a peak of smooth skin. Draco bit his lower lip. The train hadn’t even left the platform and it was all already too much, this year was going to be torture.

“Uh huh,” Pansy giggled.

Draco sighed but sat down across from them, preparing himself to endure the couple’s incessant PDA. Thankfully the other boys came along soon after. 

“Was this summer as good for everyone else as it was for me?” Theo asked, cockily. 

“It was pretty alright,” Blaise said, sinking into his seat and opening a thick, leather bound book. 

“You hang out with Megan at all?” Harry asked Theo. Megan Jones was the girl Theo had asked to the Yule Ball and fooled around with the year before.

“Nah, I mean, a bit in July but we broke it off.”

“Really, what happened, man?”

“Eh, I mean it was mutual so it’s not really a big deal.” Theo shrugged and took out a plastic bag from his leather side bag that he carted around everywhere. “Just neither of us were really feeling it anymore.”

“Theodore, are you seriously rolling a joint right now?” Pansy demanded. Harry’s eyes went to what Theo was taking out of the plastic bag and had to suppress his grin. Classic Theo. 

“Uh, yeah?”

“You can’t do that here!”

“Why not? I’ve smoked on the train ride to school before.”

“That’s different than rolling and -” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Just don’t okay!”

“Alright, alright, calm down, Pans.” Theo put away the plastic bag and took out a carton of cigarettes instead. 

Seeing this Pansy huffed and grit her teeth but kept her mouth shut. To soothe her Harry kissed her forehead. Pansy lifted her legs and put them over Harry’s. like they’d done since pretty much first year. 

Theo chuckled. “So things are obviously good between you two.”

Draco looked out the window. This was exactly the reason why he’d wanted to find another compartment, this conversation. Well, the displays of affection as well but he really didn’t want to be here while they talked about the progression of their relationship. 

So he stared out the window and thought about other things, desperately trying to think of anything other than the voice in his head insisting that Harry would be happier with him. 

-x-

“That Umbridge lady is a daft cow. I honestly don’t think I can go to another one of her classes,” Harry threw Defensive Magical Theory across the room. 

“You have to, unless you want to fail,” Blaise said. 

Harry groaned and lay down on the sofa, putting his head in Pansy’s lap. He closed his eyes when she started stroking his hair. It felt particularly good because she had long fake nails. Harry wasn’t sure he was a big fan of them, they were sort of scary, except in moments like these. 

“Maybe it doesn’t matter if you don’t do well?” Theo asked. “I mean, what do you want to do after Hogwarts?”

“I haven’t thought about it much honestly,” admitted Harry. 

“Maybe you could get drafted to a famous Quidditch team?” Pansy suggested. 

“Or be an Auror,” said Blaise. 

“I don’t know. Maybe. Those are both good ideas.” Harry didn’t want his friends to think he didn’t appreciate their help but neither of those ideas really stuck with him. 

“I’m gonna sneak down to the green houses to see if there’s anything I can get high off of in there,” said Theodore, pushing off from the sofa and heading out of the common room. “I’ll see y’all at dinner.”

“That boy is going to ruin his lungs,” Pansy said, disapprovingly, shaking her head when he was out of hearing range. 

“Don’t act like you’ve never smoked a joint before,” Harry teased. 

Pansy stopped running her fingers through his hair long enough to give him a sharp look. “There’s a difference between getting laced every once and awhile and walking around high most of the time like Theodore does.”

Harry shared an amused look with Blaise but didn’t argue with his girlfriend. Girlfriend. That thought sent an unpleasant spike through his chest. The guilt he’d been feeling around her lately and his best friend was almost too much to bear. He figured the most likely reason was because when he jerked off it was usually with the thought of Draco in mind. Merlin, he was despicable. He did his best to think about it as little as possible. He’d tried all summer to think about Pansy instead but it just didn’t work as well. Being around either of them in real life made him feel uncomfortable, like he was lying to them. But he wasn’t, it’s not like he liked Draco. He wasn’t gay. Sure, he’d sorta had a crush on Cedric...before- but that didn’t prove anything. He’d also found Cho attractive and she was definitely a girl. 

He wished he could talk to someone about all this but it wasn’t like he could go to the boy he’d been masturbating to the thought of, and he couldn’t go to the girlfriend he wasn’t thinking about. 

“It’s getting late guys, I’m gonna head to bed now,” Harry told his friends, giving Pansy a peck on the lips before leaving the common room. 

Harry breathed a little easier when he was by himself in the dormitory getting ready for bed. He ran a hand through his hair and cringed because he thought it felt a little greasy. Figuring he’d probably better take a shower he grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and headed to the bathroom. Just as he was reaching to open the door, it opened itself and he leapt in surprise. 

“Potter? Bloody hell! What are you doing?” Draco demanded, cheeks bright red. 

Harry’s own cheeks burned. Daco wasn’t wearing anything and the only thing covering him up was a towel wrapped loosely and hanging low around his hips. Droplets of water fell in rivulets down Draco’s porcelain pale chest. Harry dragged his eyes up to the other boys.

“I was er- gonna take a shower?”

“Oh- well- go ahead.” Draco slipped around him. Harry sucked in a lungful of air as he passed and hurried into the bathroom. 

-x-

“Theo, no smoking in front of either of my parents,” Draco said sternly. 

“Sure thing, Draco.” There was a large shit eating grin spread across Theo’s face that Draco hated. 

“I’m serious. I won’t invite you up again if you do.”

“This is my serious face,” Theo told him, biting his lower lip to try and suppress the grin, it was totally ineffective. 

Draco sighed, resigned to just accepting the disapproving looks from his parents when they inevitably caught Theo not so sneakily smoking pot out some window. For some reason he’d agreed to host his friends up at the manor for Christmas and Merlin was he ever regretting it now. He couldn’t figure out how he’d ever thought this would be a good idea. Draco looked around for the rest of his friends, it was like trying to herd cats. He did a quick head count. There was Theo who was fidgeting like a five year old and who couldn’t sit still for two seconds. Harry and Pansy, attached at the lips as usual. Nasty. Blaise was sitting on his trunk, reading. Alright, that was everyone accounted for. 

“Draco, darling!” He turned to see his mother and smiled. He let himself be embraced for a short time before pulling away. 

“You know my friends,” he’d finally introduced them all to his mother when they’d come up the last week of the summer before third year.

“It’s lovely to be hosting you all again. Come along.”

-x-

“I’m bored,” moaned Pansy on their first night, falling back into the sitting room sofa.

Draco scoffed at her theatrics. “Don’t be such a child.” 

“Then let’s do something!”

Draco sighed heavily. All he really wanted to do was relax but his parents had raised him to be a good host. He supposed relaxing would just have to wait. “What would you suggest?”

She hummed, thinking. “You have this massive manor and your parents aren’t even home. Do you have a pool?”

He gave her a bored look. “It’s the middle of the winter.”

“A hot tub?” Theo asked, chiming in.

“No. This isn’t our vacation home.”

Harry snorted. “We’re literally on vacation.”

“Why not give us a house tour?” said Blaise.

Draco rolled his eyes at his friends but got up from where he was sitting. “Fine. If it’ll make you quit your bitching and moaning. Let’s go.”

“I’ve got something to bring so let’s stop by the bedrooms first,” Theo said, a glint in his eyes. 

-x-

“Vodka? Seriously Theodore?” Pansy rolled her eyes at him. Harry wasn’t sure what else they’d been expecting. 

“This is the best vodka any of you will ever have in your life. This is premium stuff, guys.” He took a long sip and passed it to Harry. It burned his throat and made his eyes water. He handed it off to Draco who raised his eyebrows but took a long chug too. They passed the vodka around as Draco showed them the kitchens and dining rooms, all the bedrooms and sitting rooms. 

“Now here we have something different,” Harry whispered to Pansy. They’d reached two massive, intricately carved gold doors with potted plants on either side of the doors.

“This is the inside gardens. My mother's got a bit of a statue collection in there- not very interesting-”

“Ho ho!” Theo said. “Nice try, Malfoy. We’re going in.”

Draco didn’t suppose it would be very effective to try and talk them out of going in so he reluctantly followed them in. It looked a bit like the green houses at Hogwarts but it had way higher glass ceilings and the plants were bigger and more exotic looking. 

“This is actually really cool, Draco,” Harry said so only the other boy could hear. 

“Thanks,” Draco snorted. “It’s just a bunch of plants but-”

“Harry, come look at this!” Pansy said from around a corner. Harry shrugged at Draco apologetically but followed the sound of her voice around a massive leafy plant. 

“‘Just a bunch of plants’ my ass, Malfoy,” Harry said, looking around at the stone statues. His friends laughed like prepubescent children at the naked men and women. Oohing and ahhing at the stone animals of all sorts. Snakes, peacocks and even goats. 

Theo was cackling over two naked women to the left and Pansy was pointing at a very buff looking man. Harry laughed. Everything was funny, he found, when you were on your way to being very drunk. Merlin, he was hammered. He’d for sure consumed more than his fair share of the vodka. He would the next morning blame his following actions on just that but in the moment he wasn’t thinking much at all as he approached the buff statue and wrapped his arms around the statues neck and started making out with it. 

Wolf whistles followed this action and he went on for a good minute before he pulled away. Draco was staring at him like he’d lost his mind and that made him laugh. 

“No more vodka for you,” Draco told him as they continued through the maze of leaves and stone. 

-x-

“Let’s play a game,” Theo said when they’d found their way, some of them stumbling more than others, back to Draco’s room. 

“Like what?” asked Blaise. 

“Who would you do?” Harry suggested.

“Nah, that one’s boring since we all know who’d do who. Let’s do truth or dare.”

“That one always gets interesting!” Pansy agreed. 

“Fine. Truth or dare it is. Draco, you in?”

Draco stood and came around, the only place to sit was beside Harry. He forced himself, heart beating out of his chest, to sit beside his best friend. “I’m not just gonna sit around and watch.”

Things started out fairly tame. 

“Truth or dare, Pansy?”

“Truth.”

“Have you ever tasted a booger?”

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Nasty. No, I’m a lady. Harry, truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Merlin, you’re all so boring,” Blaise groaned. 

“Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?” Pansy asked Harry. 

“Oh, yeah, Dumbledore really does it for me,” he said, rolling his eyes. “No, none of the teachers do it for me! I don’t have an old person kink! Draco, truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to take off a piece of clothing.”

Draco raised his eyebrows and took off his sweater, there was a white T-shirt on underneath. Pansy protested but Draco had technically accomplished the dare and they moved on. 

“Blaise, truth or dare?” Draco asked. 

“Dare.”

“Lick the bottom of Theo’s foot.”

“Yeah!” Theo hollered and pulled off his sock and stuck his bare foot in Blaise’s grimacing face. 

“This is revolting.” Blaise licked a thick strip up the bottom of Theo’s foot then made a hacking noise. “I need water.”

“Here’s something better,” Theo struggled to pull his sock back on with one hand as he passed the nearly empty vodka bottle. Blaise downed the rest. 

“Never again.” He shuddered. “Alright, truth or dare, Theo?”

“Hmm, truth.”

“How far have you gone?”

Theo grinned and licked his lower lip. “I did it with Megan before we broke up.”

“What?!” Harry was shocked.

Theo laughed at their faces. “Well, yeah, I was trying to get someone to ask about it on the way to Hogwarts on the train but none of you did.”

Harry gawked. “You guys like did it it?” 

“We had sex, Potter, yeah.” 

“Well, was it good?” Draco asked, squirming. 

“Better than,” Theo bragged. “I asked her when we broke up if she was interested in being friends with benefits cause I’d be down, she didn’t seem too interested in that idea.”

“No, I can’t imagine she was,” Pansy said wryly. “Alright, my turn. I’ll save you the energy of having to ask, I’ll do a dare, Theodore.”

“I dare you to take off one of Harry’s socks with just your teeth.”

Pansy turned to Harry. “Stick out your leg, Potter.”

Harry obliged and tried not to squirm too much as Pansy used her teeth to pull his left sock off. She made it look really easy. 

“Truth or dare?” she asked him when his sock was off. 

“Dare.”

“I dare you to let me do your makeup,” she smirked. 

Harry shrugged, “Go for it. Just don’t blame me if it makes you feel bad about yourself.”

Pansy stood and hit his shoulder playfully. “You’re so cocky,” she teased. “I’ll be back in a minute with my makeup bag.”

They continued the truth or dare until Pansy got back and she sat herself on the low wooden table in the middle of all the sofas and chairs, facing Harry. “What kind of look should I do?”

“Whatever you want.” Harry shrugged. 

“Go all out,” said Theo. 

“All out it is,” Pansy said and started pulling out palettes and brushes. 

Harry sat as still as he could as Pansy stared at his face, tongue between her lips in concentration. He felt creams and powers go on. Then there was the section he had to close his eyes for which wasn’t much fun. The whole time the truth or dare was still going on. 

“Truth or dare, Draco?” Harry asked.

“Truth.”

“Ask him who he has a crush on!” Theo said. 

“Nah, if he had a crush on someone he would have told me,” Harry said. He would right? They were best friends, surely if Draco liked someone he’d trust Harry. Now that he thought about it though Draco had never told him about a crush. “Who in this room do you want to have your first kiss with?”

Draco squirmed in his seat. “Uh, none of you?”

“You have to pick someone!” Theo cackled.

“Um- I don’t know-”

What, you’re seriously contemplating this? I’m surprised. I thought the automatic answer would be Pansy since she’s the girl,” said Theo. “You’d kiss one of us guys?

Harry opened his eyes and made eye contact with Pansy. He knew without having to ask that Draco had also come out to her. It wasn’t their place to say anything though. 

“That makes Pansy the last person then,” Draco muttered under his breath. 

There was silence in the group. 

“What was that, mate?” asked Blaise. 

“I’m gay,” said Draco, bluntly. “Though, rethinking it, I’d probably kiss Pansy before I’d kiss your nasty lips, Nott. You probably have herpes, or worse.”

“Hey!” Theo protested at the jab. “I’ll have you know, not only do I not have herpes you tosser and I put vaseline on my lips every night before bed! They’re super soft!”

“Gotta pick one of us boys then, Draco,” said Blaise. 

“Ew, I don’t know!” 

“Just say Harry and let’s move on,” Blaise said, impatiently. 

Harry froze with his eyes closed and Pansy stopped putting the colourful powder on his eyelids. 

“Why would I pick Harry?” There was a hint of panic in his best friends voice.

“Uh, for two obvious reasons,” Blaise told them. “One, he’s the only other boy here with kissing experience that isn’t Theo, who you already said no to. Two, you already bicker like an old married couple and you’ve got all this chemistry between you. The way I see it you might as well.” When no one said anything to that he asked, “What have neither of you ever thought about it?”

Harry said nothing, just kept his eyes closed. 

Draco cleared his throat. “No, I guess not.”

“Want me to do eyeliner?” Pansy asked Harry. 

Harry cleared his throat, heart pounding his chest he was grateful she’d changed the subject. “Sure, do the swoopy things you usually do.”

“Wings?”

“Yeah, those.”

“Truth or dare?” Draco asked Blaise. 

“Dare.”

“Exchange a clothing item with the player on your right.”

“So, Theo?”

“Yep.”

Blaise frowned and looked over at Theo. “But he wears weird shit. I don’t want to wear any of the things he’s wearing right now.”

“Too bad. Switch.”

“Let’s just trade jumpers then,” Blaise grumbled. 

Theo happily took off his striped orange, red and turquoise jumper and pulled on Blaise’s dark one. “I feel so broody now.”

“Piss off, Nott. I look like a clown. Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you to wear Pansy’s bra on the outside of your jumper for the rest of the night. Pansy, if you’d please.”

Pansy paused whatever she was doing to Harry’s face to remove her bra (without removing her shirt and pulling it through her sleeve) and hand it over to Theo. 

“How the bloody hell do these go on?” Theo puzzled. 

“There are clips, Theodore,” said Pansy, unimpressed, going back to giving Harry wings. “It isn’t that hard.”

Theo grumbled something inaudible under his breath. Harry suspected it wasn’t something polite. 

“Alright, I’m done, Harry. Voila!” She said, starting to pack up her makeup. 

Harry turned to his other friends. “How do I look?” he asked, winking jokingly.

Draco wheezed. He was genuinely having trouble breathing. Fuck, Harry with eyeliner would be the death of him. His tombstone would read ‘Gay Panicked Too Hard’. He couldn’t stop staring at him. He wanted to. But he just couldn’t. 

“That good?” Harry grinned.

“Pfft, what? No. It looks awful.” Draco tore his eyes away but the damage was already done. 

“You actually managed to make Potter look good. Nice job Pans,” Blaise nodded approvingly. 

“Gee, thanks, Zabini.”

Draco tried to keep his eyes away from Harry but they kept wandering. “This game is boring, let's play something else.” He racked his brain. “Never have I ever?”

Harry yawned. “Yeah, okay. Never have I ever-”

“Wait!” Theo yelped. “I have to get more alcohol for this!” He rushed out of the room and when he came back he uncorked a bottle full of golden scotch. “Shot glasses?” He asked Draco. 

Draco fished around for his wand under the sofa cushion. “Accio shot glasses!”

Tiny glasses came shooting through the air towards them. Theo lined them up and filled them. “Alright, go ahead, Harry.”

“Never have I ever actually really liked a song by Celestina Warbeck.”

Draco, unashamed, took a shot. 

“I can’t beleive I never noticed you were gay before,” Blaise snorted. 

“Never have I ever cheated on a test,” said Draco. Everyone else took a shot. “In what class?!”

“All of them,” grinned Theo.

Pansy shrugged. “A couple times in Transfigurations.”

“Charms. The last unit sucked ass, man,” Blaise shook his head. “Flitwick totally tried to trick us with some of those questions.”

“History of magic, potions and astronomy,” said Harry. 

Blaise slammed down his shot glass. “Fuck astronomy!”

“Feel passionate about that, do you Blaise?” snickered Theo. 

“Merlin, I really hated that class.”

“I can’t believe you guys-”

“We can’t all be brainiacs like you.” Harry wiggled his feet under Draco’s thigh, tucking them in. 

“Get your nasty feet away from me, Potter.” But Harry only stuck his tongue out and Draco had to look away before Harry saw the blush on his cheeks.

“Never have I ever!” Pansy screwed up her face as she thought. “Never have I ever smoked a cigarette!” 

“Fuck you,” Theo muttered, filling his glass and taking a shot. “Never have I ever had a crush on a teacher.”

“Well fuck you too,” Pansy took a shot. 

“Wait, who?” Blaise demanded. 

“Lockhart.”

“The stupid DADA teacher in second year? The one who couldn’t even control cornish pixies?”

Pansy made a face at Blaise. “He had nice hair.”

Blaise made a face back and Pansy threw a decorative pillow at him. “Never have I ever stuck gum under a desk.”

Theo and Harry took shots for that one. 

“Never have I ever learned how to play a musical instrument,” said Harry. The rest of his friends took a shot. “All of you?”

“Piano when I was younger.”

“Piano.”

“Violin.”

“Both.”

Theo coughs hard. “Show off much, Malfoy?”

“I’m tired and freezing,” whined Harry.

“Take this you big wuss,” said Draco, handing him the jumper he’d pulled off earlier in truth or dare.

Draco decided he wished he hadn’t given it to Harry the moment the other boy pulled it over his head. The feeling of warmth that spread in his chest when he saw Harry wearing his clothing was dangerous. It was too much. Too adorable. But it’s not like he could tell Harry to take it off, that’d raise too many questions that he didn’t feel like answering right now.

“Theodore! You have got to be kidding me!”

“What? What is it woman?” Theo looked at Pansy with wide eyes as he held his wand at the tip of the joint between his lips. 

“Oh I can’t do this anymore-”

While Pansy went off on Theo, Draco was surprised when Harry leaned over. The weight of the other boy rested fully on Draco. “Can I sleep with you tonight? Like old times?”

“Your not gonna sleep with Pansy?”

Harry’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know, Potter, maybe because she’s your girlfriend?”

“But it’s different with us.”

“Huh, really?” 

Harry glanced away. “If you don’t want me to I don’t have to. I didn’t mean to force-”

“Oh stop. I was only teasing. Of course you can. Just come in after the others have gone to bed.”

Harry smiled brightly. “Sure thing. Also, you don’t really think the makeup looks awful do you?”

Draco huffed. He’d had too much to drink to filter anything he said right now. He should just go to sleep. “You look handsome, happy?”

“Yes.” Harry leaned away and Draco berated himself for wishing he’d stayed there. 

-x-

The next day Harry suggested they go for a hike. Draco wasn’t really the outdoorsy type but he would have ripped his own eyeballs out if Harry had asked him to so evidently they ended up going on the hike. Before they left, when they’d been waiting in the entry hall for Theo to hurry his ass up, Draco had turned to Pansy who was zipping up a pair of tall boots. 

“Pansy, it’s too cold out to wear that miniskirt.”

“Bloody shut up, Malfoy.” 

He’d promptly obliged but not fifteen minutes into their hike when Pansy’s teeth were chattering together she was shivering so hard Harry spoke up. 

“You cold over there, Parkinson?”

“Fuck off, Potter.” 

Harry and Draco had shared an amused look. It was so like Pansy to wear outfits based off her mood regardless of the weather. 

Draco had never felt so on top of the world than in that moment standing at the top of the hill with all his friends, looking down at the view before them. 

As they headed back, the sun lowered in the sky behind them, revealing inky indigo sky with shining stars. Draco could hear Theo tripping over his own feet all the way down the hill.

“I’m so ready for dinner. My stomach is making weird noises I’m so hungry,” Theo whined. 

Draco was distracted from Theo’s pouting when Harry came up beside him, and said in a voice that only he could hear, “Sirius wrote to me.”

“What’d he say?”

“Well I told him about Umbridge…” Harry hesitated, stopping in the middle of his sentence.

“Harry, you can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Harry glanced at Draco’s face, searchingly. He seemed to find what he’d been looking for because he kept talking. “Sirius said I should do something. I don’t know. Maybe, it’s stupid, I know, but I was thinking maybe I could teach kids?”

“You think you could?”

Harry shrugged, self conscious. “Well, I don’t know, but someone has to right? We’re not learning anything from Umbridge so-”

“I think it’s a great idea.”

“Really? You don’t think it’s dumb?”

“Definitely not. I think you’ll be extraordinary.” Harry stared at him. “As a teacher,” Draco added. “Extraordinary as a teacher.”

By then they’d reached the manor. Harry smiled at him and passed through the door he held open for him. Theo released a near pornographic moan when he smelled the food being cooked in the kitchen. 

“I smell apple pie baking,” the boy told them as he pulled off his hat and gloves. “That’ll be soooo good with some vanilla ice cream on top.”

-x-

The night of the Malfoy Christmas dinner party Draco was almost ready when there was a knock at his bedroom door. He was only a little surprised to see Harry standing on the other side. 

“Could you help me with my cufflinks?” Harry asked shyly. “Like you did at the Yule Ball.”

“Yes, of course, come in Potter. Shut the door behind you.” Draco stood in front of his mirror and finished with putting the gel in his hair.

“You look good,” Harry complimented.

“That is the intention.”

“You’re awfully cocky tonight.”

“What else am I supposed to say?” Draco adopted a mocking voice. “‘Oh, Harry, do you really think so? Oh, Harry, compliment me more, Harry!’” He dropped the high tone. “I don’t think so.”

Harry chuckled. “Fair enough. I will admit though, I like your hair better in the morning. You know, when it isn’t gelled back?”

Draco’s heart fluttered. Harry knew something very few did, what he looked like first thing in the morning. Even the other Slytherin boys didn’t know that. Draco always had a few short moments to compose himself behind the curtains of his four poster bed before facing them and starting his day. However, with him and Harry sharing a bed there was no hiding. He composed himself and was proud of how evenly his voice sounded when he spoke. “Unfortunately enough for you my parents and our guests do not appreciate my bed head.”

He watched Harry’s face shift around as he came to the same realisation Draco had a moment previously. The process of realisation was interesting to watch unfold. Draco decided to end the other boys misery and turned around from his mirror to face him. 

“Cufflinks?”

“Huh?”

“You came here for me to help you with your cufflinks, where are they?”

“Oh yeah.” Harry dug around in both his pockets. “Shit. I must have left them in my room, hold on, it’ll only take a minut-”

“Don’t be silly, Potter. You can just use some of mine.” Draco opened the drawer of his vanity table and selected a pair. “Here, these match your eyes.” He reached for Harry’s sleeves and kept his eyes down on the cufflinks, they really were a very pretty emerald, so he wouldn’t look up at Harry even though he could have put them on in his sleep. “I can’t believe you forgot the reason you came to my room in the first place,” he chuckled as he finished.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

There was another knock and Draco’s door and they startled apart. “Guests will be here soon!” His mother called out. 

“Guess we’d better go down?” Harry asked. 

“Probably.”

-x-

The whole night Harry found his eyes going to Malfoy even though Pansy was all done up. She clung to his arm and whispered in his ear in the way she’d always done that he’d never found annoying before but despised for some reason that evening. She really did look lovely in a dark green, silky looking dress that swept the floor and had thin, intricate straps in the back. Her dark long hair was in a braided messy bun up the back of her head. Harry really couldn’t figure out how she’d done it. 

Yet, despite all this, his eyes were drawn to Draco, like magnets. He was wearing a well fitting pressed suit which made him look particularly elegant. Even though what Harry had told him earlier was true, even though he did prefer when Draco didn’t have all that gel in his hair, it did accentuate his high cheekbones and sharp jawline when he did. 

Harry watched him out of the corner of his eye the whole night, while he and Pansy made rounds together (talking to powerful influential witches and wizards), all throughout dinner, all the way up until the party was over and they headed up to bed. 

Hoping maybe he was just sleepy, Harry took a shower. When he got out he changed into a pair of fresh boxers and the same sweater Draco had let him borrow from the evening of truth or dare. He’d kind of stolen it and made it his own. He didn’t usually wear a top to bed anymore, choosing to sleep without one, but he didn’t want to make Draco uncomfortable since they shared a bed. He’d taken the cue of wearing a top from Draco who slept in boxers and a baggy tshirt. 

“When did you stop sleeping in matching silk pyjamas?” Harry asked him, exiting the steamed up bathroom. 

Draco was sitting up in bed, reading a book, but he looked up when Harry spoke to him. “Er- This summer? I think? I’m not totally sure. Why?”

“It just felt like part of your brand.”

That was enough to make Draco close his book all the way. Harry wasn’t sure why that made him so happy to have Draco’s full and undivided attention. “My brand?” 

“Yeah, they were extra. You’re extra. It made sense.” Harry shrugged, he knew he was instigating now but couldn’t help himself. 

Draco raised his eyebrows. “Boxers and a tshirt aren’t extra enough for you?”

“Nope.” Harry crawled under the covers beside him.

“My sincerest apologies,” Draco said, sounding completely insincere as he put his book on the nightstand and lay down. 

Harry took a sip of water from the cup on his bedside table, ice cold water slid down his throat. When he turned back around Draco was slipping on his eye mask. 

Harry laughed to himself. 

“What?” Draco demanded, peeking out from his eye mask, which only made Harry laugh harder.

“The eye mask makes up for the lack of silk pyjamas,” he explained.

“The eye mask is extra enough for you?”

“Yeah.”

Draco rolled his eyes, pulling the mask back in place. “Glad to hear everything is right in the world again,” he said, sarcastically.

“Goodnight Draco.”

“Goodnight Harry.” 

It was a long time before Harry fell asleep that night. There was something so calming about falling asleep next to Draco. The other boy seemed so vulnerable and Harry found himself reveling in his ability to watch the other boy, cheek pressed to the pillow, mouth parted ever so slightly as he slept. That night when he slept he dreamed of doing the exact same thing, falling asleep and waking up in the same bed as Draco, but based on the appearance of the two of them, it was some many decades in the future. 

-x-

When Draco woke the next morning, it was to a strange sensation. His legs were tangled with Harry’s and the other boy had his arm draped around Draco’s midsection. This was fine. Everything was fine. Best friends cuddled all the time. Slowly, to not wake Harry, Draco pushed his eye mask up onto his forehead so he could see. 

Harry’s face was close enough that Draco could feel each exhalation on his face. The other boy always looked so peaceful when he slept. Innocent. Trying to be quiet and careful, Draco started to untangle their legs because he desperately had to use the lavatory. The motion must’ve woken Harry though because the next thing Draco knew the other boy was squinting up at him. 

“Draco?” The throatiness of Harry’s morning voice sent delicious shivers up his spine.

“Merry Christmas, Harry.”

“Merry Christmas,” Harry yawned as he leaned over to the side table and put his glasses on. 

“Ready to get up?”

“Can’t we just stay in bed five more minutes?” Harry moaned pitifully, pulling the duvet up to his chin. 

“You just know I got you better gifts this year.”

That managed to get Harry’s attention. “‘Gifts? Seriously, Malfoy? Plural?”

“They’re really good! I couldn’t just not get them for you,” he said, defensively, as he slid out of bed and made his way toward the bathroom. “Come on, get up, it’s present time.”

Harry grumbled the whole way.

-x-

They all ended up gathered in the same sitting room as the night before. All of them were still in their pyjamas even though it was mid afternoon. Pansy had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders to stay warm and Theo had a duvet pulled over his head. 

“Breakfast was sooooo good,” Theo moaned. 

“I’ve never had anything like that,” said Harry. 

“I think my poor mother nearly had a heart attack when both of you came down in your boxers,” Draco told them, looking at Harry, an affectionate glint in his eyes. 

“I would have borrowed sweats if you’d leant them to me!” Harry protested. Pansy lifted the end of her duvet and Harry shifted over so his lower half was warm. 

Harry had gone down to breakfast wearing what he’d slept in assuming the rest of them would be in similar attire. Theo, of course, had been the only other one wearing anything resembling what he was wearing. Pansy had a robe pulled over her thin, strappy, silky night dress. Blaise was wearing what qualified as pyjamas for Blaise, a black sweater and grey sweatpants. It was the most casual thing Harry had ever seen Blaise wear in his life. Draco had also pulled on a sweatshirt and loose pants. This left Harry and Theo to be the only ones in boxers at breakfast. Mrs Malfoy really had gone very pale.

“Can we get started with the presents already.” Blaise grunted, evidently very much not a morning person. 

“Want some more coffee, Blaise?”

“The answer to that question is always yes.”

“My gifts first!” Theo said as he got up from the sofa, dragging his duvet behind him, to where he bent over by the tree and turned around, arms full of similarly shaped and sized gifts. 

“It’s not marijuana is it, Theodore?” asked Pansy.

“Oh quit your moaning and just open the damn gifts, Parkinson.”

Turned out he’d bought them all a bottle of their favourite liquor. Scotch for Draco, Whiskey for Blaise, Tequila for Harry and Krupnik (a polish honey vodka) for each of them. 

“Merry Christmas!” said Theo. 

“Thanks man, this stuff looks really expensive.”

“Oh, it really was. But watching you all get super drunk will make it worth every Galleon.”

They then moved on to Pansy’s gifts. Harry opened the gift, tearing off the poorly wrapped wrapping paper, to reveal a box containing a weird sisters shirt and a collection of vividly coloured face masks. 

“Gee thanks, Pansy,” said Harry, looking through them. He knew muggles had face masks but he was pretty sure they weren’t baby blue with crushed billywig wing to clear pores or chartreuse with gnome saliva to calm irritation and soothe redness.

“Thanks, Pans,” Theo said, holding up a pastel pink facemask containing Merlin knew what. 

“Shut up, Theodore.” Pansy rolled her eyes at all their faces. “Unfold the shirts.”

Harry did as he was told and a ticket to the Weird Sisters summer concert fell out. 

“Pansy!” Harry smiled so hard his cheeks hurt. “Did you get us all a ticket?”

“Duh, of course I did, Potter. You didn’t think I just got you a shirt and facemasks did you? But seriously, use the face masks, your skin is absolutely awful, the lot of you. I mean, have any of you ever washed your faces before?”

“Hey!” Draco looked genuinely offended.

“Oh not you, Draco dear. I know you know what a skincare routine is but none of our other clueless friends do.”

“Moving on?” Blaise said, scowling at her. 

“Fine by me.” Harry didn’t miss the look she shared with Draco.

Harry ended up receiving a joke set of wizards chess from Theo, a hair potion from Blaise (“to at least attempt to tame that birds nest you call hair,” Blaise told him), a Chudley Cannons jersey from Ron and from Hermione he got a talking diary that says, “Do it today or later you’ll pay!” From Sirius and Remus Harry received “Practical Defense Magic and its Use Against The Dark Arts” and a luxey eagle quill and bottle green dress robes from the Malfoys. 

The last presents he had to open were from Draco. There was a small stack of them, all wrapped neatly. He picked up the long narrow on first and riped of the shiny paper. 

All Harry could do was stare. 

“Okay, and how much money did you spend on that?” Pansy demanded. 

“Shut up, Pansy.” Draco looked at Harry, suddenly looking very timid. “Well Potter, do you like it?”

Harry looked wide eyed at the glistening silver, emerald encrusted, sword in his hands. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing Harry had ever seen. He looked up at Draco, who was trying to look cool and unbothered but Harry could see beneath it. 

“When’s he ever gonna need a sword?” asked Blaise.

Harry smiled at Draco softly. “I love it.”

“You do?”

“Very much,” he reassured. 

He watched the tension ease from Draco’s posture. Harry picked up the second gift in the small pile and unwrapped a cashmere sweater. 

“So you can stop stealing mine,” Draco said, quickly. 

Harry’s stomach sank. Was there a platonic sounding way to explain that he liked wearing Draco’s sweater because it smelled like him? 

The third gift felt like a book but when Harry tore away the wrapping he saw a photo album. He flipped open the first page and sat, stunned, by the photos he saw. He was equally taken back by the rest of the album. There were all sorts of photos, some from all the way back in their first year. Photos of quidditch games with all his friends completely decked out with face paint and banners with Harry’s last name in big green letters. Photos of a slightly more chubbier cheeked Harry and Draco fast asleep and leaning against one another for support in the common room. Photos of them at the three broomsticks playing exploding snap with massive grins on their faces and wild gleams in their eyes. Photos of him and Remus drinking tea and photos of him and Sirius hugging in some and laughing in others. A photo of Harry playing wizards chess with Ron and another of him studying with Hermione. Photos of him and Theo sharing a joint in the green house. A photo of him and Pansy, her legs thrown over his, the way they were so often when they sat together. Photos from last summer of him and Draco at the Quidditch cup. Photos of all four Slytherin boys in nothing but their boxers and ties doing the can can and smiling like maniacs at one another from that one evening they’d gotten really drunk for the first time just the four of them. 

Overwhelmed by emotion, Harry leaned over and pulled Draco into a rib crackingly tight embrace. 

“This is- this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten,” he whispered to his best friend.

“Yes, well, I’m glad you like it.”

“How’d you get all these?”

“If I tell you I won’t be able to get more candid ones like this in future.” Harry flipped to the back of the album and saw that there were some blank pages to keep adding. 

“Thank you, Draco. Really.” 

Draco nodded and looked away, using Harry’s gift to him as an excuse to avoid eye contact. Butterflies gathered in harry’s stomach. What if Draco didn’t like what he’d gotten him? How could he possibly top the things Draco had gotten him? He honestly didn’t think it was possible. But then Draco was opening the gift and smiling up at him and the butterflies in Harry’s stomach doubled.

“Did I get the right ingredients?” he asked the other boy. 

“How did you know which ones I wanted? They’re for potions outside of class, they wouldn’t have been in the textbook.”

“Because when you start brainstorming about possible concoctions you mutter under your breath or write lists in the margins.”

“Thanks,” said Draco, breathless.

“Let me know how they turn out.”

“I will.”

-x-

Harry stood at the doorway of Mrs Malfoy's sitting room, silently waiting for Draco. 

“Draco, Mrs Clemonte will be coming for dinner this evening. She wanted to catch up during the holidays but since she couldn’t make the Christmas dinner due to her catching a terrible cold she wrote a letter saying she wanted to come over to this evening's dinner. It’s awfully last minute, I know, it’s lucky we didn’t already have plans,” he heard Mrs Malfoy say. “Please let your friends know not to come down to the dining room in their underwear for this meal.” Harry grimaced. He debated going in and apologizing. 

“Yes, of course, mother. I swear if I’d known-”

Mrs Malfoy laughed. “I’m only teasing, Draco darling.”

“All the same.”

“I want your friends to be comfortable when they come to the manor and I’ll pardon it this time because for starters it was the first time and in addition because it was Christmas morning.”

“I’ll let them know.” Draco left the room a few moments later and Harry fell into step with him. 

“Who’s Mrs Clemonte?”

“The Clemontes are old family friends.”

“So the missus is coming for dinner tonight?” They turned a corner and Harry nearly knocked down what looked like a very expensive vase. Looking up, Harry saw that the whole hallway on both sides was full of oil portraits of who Harry assumed to be Draco’s ancestors. All the witches and wizards were scowling and had very sharp features. It was a very long hallway.

“It’s rude to eavesdrop, Potter.”

“I did not eavesdrop…” Except he totally had. “ I waited for you and overheard your loud blathering.”

“I’ll be sure to tell my mother you think she blathers loudly.”

“Please don’t. I don’t want to be skinned alive.”

Draco side eyed him. “Fine, I’ll refrain. Only because I quite like you with your skin.”

Harry put his arm around Draco’s shoulders. Like a friend would. “Well thank you, Draco darling. That’s very sweet of you.”

Draco rolled his eyes but gave Harry an affectionate look. 

“So I really can’t wear my boxers to dinner?”

Draco elbowed him. Jeez, pointy! “If you do I’ll be the one to skin you alive.”

“Mean.” Harry pouted. “Not even my watermelon pink ones covered in snitches?”

The other boy gave him an impatient look. Harry loved how easy it was to rile him up. “Especially not those ones. Please tell me your joking?”

“Me? Joke?” he scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. “Never!”

“I really can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” Draco scowled, disgruntled. “No boxers, Potter.”

“Spoil sport.”

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon writing to Sirius and Remus who were living together at Grimmauld Place. He enjoyed reading the letters he got from them, half written by each with notes added by one to the other’s section. Draco sat on the couch across from him, reading a book by a classic muggle author, Pansy sat on the one he was leaning against flipping through her most recent issue or Witches Weekly. Blaise sat closer to the fire as he wrote a letter to his mother while Theo lay on the rug to take a nap, his arm draped over his eyes. When an old grandfather clock in the corner struck five o’clock Draco suggested that they all get changed for supper. 

Harry finished up his letter to his godfather and Remus before dashing down the hallway after Draco to tag along to his room, which was only a few halls from the guest room Harry’s things were in. Even though they’d been sharing a room for most of the Winter Break most of Harry’s clothes were still in a guest room so none of their friends got suspicious. 

“It’s fine if I wear what I wore to the Christmas dinner, right?” Harry asked.

Draco looked at him like he’d grown a second head. “No? Why would that be acceptable?”

“What else would I wear?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the dress robes my parents got you?”

“Oh yeah.”

Draco shook his head as if he were being forced to converse with a stubborn two year old asking ridiculous questions. Harry changed into the bottle green dress robes and looked at himself from all angles in a large mirror. He picked at his sleeves and frowned. Trudging to Draco’s room down the hall he knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer he walked in. 

“I could have been changing!” Draco exclaimed, whirling around to face him.

Harry raised his eyebrows at his friends dramatic response. “And?”

“I could have been naked!” 

“But you weren’t.” 

The other boy was very much not naked, instead dressed in deep red dress robes, as he turned back around to face his mirror and lean in very close as he powdered a pimple near his hairline.

“I could have been.” Draco fumed. “Why are you even here?”

Harry was distracted from the actual words coming out of Draco’s mouth as his attention was actually currently mostly fixed on how the red and gold trimmed robes Draco was wearing brought out the pale pink blush his face had turned. When he didn’t answer Draco’s eyes wandered to meet his in the mirror’s reflection and Harry pulled himself together enough to string a sentence together. “I look stupid in these.” Harry held out his arms so Draco could see how dumb he looked in the dress robes. 

Draco looked him up and down. Harry felt blood rush to his cheeks, it felt intense having Draco look at him that way. His own eyes scanned Draco. He really did look good in red. It wasn’t fair. Then Draco said, “You look no more stupid than you usually do.”

Harry blinked and watched Draco continue to try to cover up the pimple. A few minutes later, tilting his head this way and that in the lighting, he seemed satisfied and started to put away the powder. 

Harry licked his lips, suddenly feeling courageous. “Hey, Malfoy.”

Draco glowered at him in the mirror. “Hey Potter.”

“You’re wearing Gryffindor colours.”

“Piss off,” he said, glaring harder.

“It’s hot.”

Draco froze, powder in hand. “You can’t just say that.”

“Why?”

Draco averted his gaze and put down the powder before he turned from his reflection. His eyes danced around the room, then met Harry’s. “Didn’t we talk about this last year?” His voice had lost it’s chilly undertone.

“Mm I can’t remember.” He did remember, now that Draco mentioned it. 

“Yes, you do. You can’t lie to me.”

Draco had gotten pissy like this last year when Harry had told him he thought his ability to speak fluent french was hot. “What, because it sounds gay?”

Draco stared at him and pursed his lips and without saying anything walked right passed Harry and out his bedroom door.

Harry stood there a few moments longer before chasing after his best friend. 

“Why are you upset?” Draco kept his eyes forward and lips pressed together, picking up his pace. “Draco, talk to me!”

Draco stopped and shoved a finger in Harry’s face. “Stop. Stop chasing me down the hall and yelling.”

“I’m not yelling!”

Draco shook his head and kept going in the direction of the dining room. When they reached the end of the hall they nearly ran into Pansy who was walking with Blaise, who both automatically caught on that they were fighting. 

“Are you two bickering again?” Pansy asked, with a sigh.

“No,” said Harry at the exact same time that Draco said yes.

“About what?”

“Potter, can’t keep his big flap shut.” Draco side stepped his friends and Harry chased after him, determined. 

“I’m not mad. Why are you?”

“You know why,” said Draco, stubbornly. 

“If I knew why I wouldn’t be asking!” Draco descended the stairwell at what was nearly a run as Harry sped walked after him. “Come back here and talk to me!”

“Grow up-” Draco stopped talking the moment they entered the sitting room and saw that there were guests. Plural. There were multiple strangers. 

“Hello Draco darling,” his mother addressed him with a pointed stare. “You remember Mrs Clemonte and her son Griffin?“

Draco’s eyes stuck on the young man with neat auburn hair and smooth grey robes. He had long legs and longer eyelashes. His dark glittering eyes met Draco’s and he smirked. Draco was speechless.

His view of the boy was locked when Mrs Clemonte, a hefty woman wearing a navy blue dress and her hair in a low bun, stood when she saw Draco. She set down her tea with a clatter that made his mother flinch. “Draco! The last time I saw you was nearly five years ago! How are you my dear?” she looked behind Draco and spotted Harry, Blaise and Pansy. “Draco are these your friends from Hogwarts? How is school going? Enjoying it I hope? I’ve heard wonderful things!”

Ah, yes, Draco remembered Mrs Clemonte. She talked faster than most could keep up with, Draco remembered many parties just sitting there as the woman gabbed on and on for hours by herself with only a nod or shake of the head as satisfactory response before she was off again. It was a tad exhausting but she’d inherited more than a small fortune and was incredibly influential and while yes, maybe it was a bit tiresome she was a pleasant woman.

“I’m very well. This is Harry, Blaise and Pansy.” He pointed to each of his friends in turn. “Theo should be down any minute. They’re my housemates at Hogwarts, which is indeed a very good school.”

“Harry? Harry Potter?”

“That’s the one.” Draco tried not to let his deep annoyance and frustration with his best friend show, gritting his teeth through his forced smile.

“Oh dear boy!” Mrs Clemonte bustled forward and clasped Harry’s hands in her own. Draco drew some satisfaction from the surprised look on Harry’s face. “It’s so nice to meet you!”

Harry smiled humbly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“What a nice young polite gentleman!” Mrs Clemonte said to his mother who gave her a small smile in return. 

Just then Theo made his entrance. “Ah, you must be the lovely Mrs Clemonte I’ve heard so much about!”

“And you must be Theo.”

Theo smirked, winking at the woman when he kissed the hand she’d extended to him. “That would be me.”

“I believe dinner is ready,” Mrs Malfoy told the group.

On the way to the living room Draco got another look at Griffin. Why didn’t boys this good looking attend Hogwarts? 

As they all took their seats Draco felt his stomach swoop when Griffin sat across from him. 

“Did Lucius tell you where he was taking Richard out tonight?” Mrs Clemonte asked Mrs Malfoy.

“He mentioned possibly taking him to one of our favourite places-”

Draco glanced up from the table and made eye contact with Griffin. It was heated and charged. This meal ought to be interesting.

-x-

Harry was already in a bad mood. The meal had been long and drawn out by their guests incessant questions. Even after that they had to sit through at least an hour of sitting in the living room and sipping at cups of brandy while Mrs Clemonte kept up the small talk. It certainly didn’t help his mood that the whole evening he kept catching Draco and Griffin trying to sneak glances at one another. He shoved down his annoyance and zoned back into the conversation Mrs Malfoy and Mrs Clemonte were having.

“Yes, Griffin’s been studying the subject, he thinks he’ll go into a related field when he gets out of school. The issue is that there’s limited resources on the finer details.”

“Well I think we have a few books in our library on the matter. Draco could you take Griffin and show him?” Mrs Malfoy asked her son.

Harry glanced over at Draco to see a shocked expression quickly being hidden. “Of course.”

Draco and Griffin left the room together and Harry shoved down the ugly feelings rising up in his chest. There was no reason to be feeling this way. 

But he started to squirm in his seat when after some time they still hadn't returned. Unable to listen to Mrs Clemonte any longer he excused himself, saying he felt light headed and wanted to lay down. With that he bid his friends goodnight and ascended the stairs, in the direction of the library instead of his room. He had to check on Draco. There was a part of him that had to know if the other boy was alright. 

-x-

Draco led Griffin up the stairs to the library. His heart pounded in his chest and his palms felt sweaty.

“So you’ve been awfully quiet in there all night,” Griffin commented. 

Draco cleared his throat. Why was he panicking? “Have I?”

Griffin chuckled, it was a nice sound. “There’s no need to be polite. I know my mother gets carried away and rambles sometimes.”

“I would never say that.” He could tell Griffin was about to make another witty retort so he said, “Here we are,” and pushed open the large library double doors. 

Griffin raised his eyebrows at Draco but stepped through. The other boy’s mouth dropped open “Whoa.”

Draco knew the library at the manor was impressive. It was three floors full of row upon row of floor to ceiling bookshelves full of books. 

“This is insane,” Griffin said, wide eyed as he moved to the closest shelf and ran his finger along the spines of the books. Draco was fixated by the movement of the other boys finger. They were long and thin, similar to his own, fingers like that were good for playing the piano or violin. Draco blinked, he had to snap out of it. “Which is your favourite?”

“I’m not sure I could pick just one. Come on, I’ll show you the ones I think my mother meant.”

Draco walked up a gold winding staircase that led to the second floor of the library, Griffin trailed after him. 

“Here.” He pulled a couple off the shelves. He turned to see Griffin gazing at him. “What?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you have the most striking features?”

“Pardon?” His breathing was shallow, was Griffin getting closer? He couldn’t remember ever being this close to another person's face. 

“Can I kiss you?” Griffin asked, eyes half lidded and voice barely above a whisper.

The next thing Draco knew he was closing his eyes and leaning in. The kiss was hot and fast and desperate. Griffin pushed Draco’s back up against the shelf and Draco thought his heart might burst from his chest. He, Draco Lucius Malfoy, was kissing a boy. A boy was kissing him. 

His hand slid up to cup Griffin’s cheek and he’d never imagined kissing another boy would feel this good. It was a little messy, he had no idea what he was doing, but he couldn’t have been that bad because Griffin was making these little noises that encouraged Draco to continue what he was doing. When one of Griffin’s hands slide under his shirt and stroked his hip Draco sucked in a short breath and felt goosebumps rise all along his skin. 

So this is what all the excitement was about. 

-x-

Harry had never spent much time in the library at the manor but he remembered Draco showing it to him a couple years ago and sometimes he’d go with Draco to fetch another book he wanted to read. When he got there the door was open a couple inches. He pushed it open the rest of the way but saw nothing. Harry was about to start searching the first floor when he heard a faint thump from up above. When he started up the stairs and began to hear other sounds. Sounds he recognized and that filled him with a looming sense of dread but he had to see for himself. 

When he came to the top of the landing he saw them. Griffin moved from kissing the other boy to sucking at Draco’s neck and all Harry could do was stare at Draco’s blushing face. His eyes were closed but they flashed open the moment Harry stepped on a creaky floor board. The second their eyes met Draco pushed Griffin away. But it was too late, Harry had seen. 

“Harry-” but he was already turning away and rushing down the stairs. He had to get out of the library. 

Scorching hot jealousy burned through his chest every time he remembered the sight. It was all he could think about. Griffin using his body to press Draco up against the bookshelf, Griffins hands up Draco’s shirt, Griffins lips on Draco’s neck, on his lips.

Harry slept in the guest room that night. 

-x-

There was less than a week left of the break left. Harry lay in bed in the still dark silence, unmoving. He’d grown so used to falling asleep beside Draco. So used to the other boy hogging the blankets, so used to falling asleep to the sound of Draco’s gentle deep breathing, so used to waking up with their legs tangled together, sometimes their backs pressed together, other times their faces inches apart.

It was incredibly weird having the whole bed to himself, weird to not have to fight for the blankets. He was actually annoyed with himself by how hard he found it to fall asleep with the ringing silence, no deep breathing to lull him to sleep. 

Weird. So weird. 

And then there was the matter that every time he closed his eyes he found that the memory of Draco swapping spit with Clemonte was tattooed to the inside of his eyelids. The problem was that even with his eyes open the memory seemed to be at the forefront of his mind. It drove him crazy that no matter how he tried to distract himself his thoughts always went back to that unpleasant image. It made him even crazier that he couldn’t figure out why. It was stupid. Beyond stupid. Perhaps the stupidest thing ever. He reasoned with himself that it made sense that he felt protective. Draco was his best friend. But why was he angry? Why was he jealous? 

Then he imagined himself in Clemontes place and his world turned upside down. Oh. Oh no. 

He squeezed his eyes shut and turned his over on t his stomach. Clutching his pillow over his face he screamed. It helped a total of not to release any of his pent up frustration. This could not be happening. But it was. The new image, the one of him kissing Draco opposed to Clemonte played itself over and over. 

-x-

Harry wanted nothing more than to stay in bed, buried in the sheets. His bladder and gurgling stomach however wouldn’t allow that. He thought that maybe after breakfast he could get away without any of his friends noticing. This turned out to be wishful thinking as Pansy convinced them all to play cards in the living room, sitting on the floor around a wooden coffee table. Harry wasn’t really in the mood but he couldn’t get away from them without having to answer a number of questions he wouldn’t be able to lie well enough to be convincing. 

Harry tried to keep his eyes down on his cards but the way Draco eating a nectarine was more distracting than it should have been. 

“That’s not how you play, Theodore!” Pansy insisted. 

“I’ve been playing President for years, Pansy, I think I know how the game goes.”

“Clearly you don’t! You can’t clear the pile after matching your five with the five I just played! Four players need to play all four of the same card before the pile is cleared!”

“What version of President have you been playing?!”

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Draco bite into the nectarine. Juice spilled down over his lips and dripped from his chin. Harry licked his lips and threw down a random card when his turn came around. He swallowed hard and leaned back against the couch behind him. He held his cards up in front of his face, doing this made it easier to look at Draco without making it obvious that he was doing so. 

Nectarine juice trickled into Draco’s palm and Harry stared as the other boy finished the fruit before proceeding to lick the juice from his lips and palm then sucking on each of his sticky fingers. 

“Harry, it’s your turn,” Blaise told him. 

Harry blinked and looked down at the double queens at the top of the pile. He looked at his own hand and with slightly shaky hands picked out the double kings he had. 

He felt a tug of arousal in his stomach and closed his eyes, willing it to go away. Harry looked up and made eye contact with Draco. Panic spiked through his chest and he stood, throwing down his cards, he muttered something about being sick before leaving his friends to stare after him.

The second he made it to is room he slid down to the floor, back against the door. He buried his hands in his arms crossed over his knees. 

He liked Draco. He, Harry James Potter, liked Draco. Draco Malfoy. He groaned loudly. This could only end in disaster. He tried to think of something, anything else. However, his brain was noncompliant. 

Harry attempted to think of all the reasons he shouldn’t like Draco but instead all his brain seemed to want to do was the opposite, come up with all the reasons he did like Draco. It went a little something like this : his stupidly soft hair, his sharp witty sarcastic comebacks, he speaks french and it’s hot, his sleepy smiles when it’s late at night, the way his laugh sounds when he’s just woken up, he gets cuddly when he’s sleepy and it’s ridiculously cute, his need to give random expensive gifts out of the blue for no reason other than he just wants to, the way he looks in a suit or dress robes makes him an unfair amount of handsome, he was brilliantly smart and even the way they bickered. The list was endless. 

Of all the people he had to fall for it just had to be his best friend.

-x-

Harry avoided Draco for the rest of the Winter Break as much as possible. He berated himself because deep down he knew he had no reason to be upset with Draco. The other boy hadn’t done anything wrong. The only problem was that every time they were in the same room together it made it even harder to not imagine Draco and the Clemonte boy sucking face. The memory made him unreasonably angry, made him want to break something. So Harry avoided Draco. Pansy asked him one time if he wanted to talk about what was wrong but Harry had insisted everything was fine. 

So what if he was getting less and less sleep now that he slept in the guest room alone every night?

He spent the rest of the holidays trailing Pansy, unless she was with Draco. When she wasn’t the two of them spent a lot of time cuddling while she read or making out.

One night things were getting more heated than usual. Pansy had helped Harry out of his shirt and her own blouse was unbuttoned and slipping off her shoulder. She sat in his lap, cupping his face with her small delicate hands. Her cheeks were flushed a dark pink and his chest lifted and fell rapidly. But when he felt Pansy’s hands move to unbutton his pants panic like he’d never felt before surged through him. 

Harry broke away, heavy tears falling down his cheeks. “I can’t.”

“What’s wrong?” Pansy leaned back and pulled her hands away and stared and his tear stained face.

“Pansy, I-I think I like Draco.”

Her face shifted from surprised to sympathetic. “Oh, Harry.”

“Fuck.” Harry rubbed at his eyes and tear stained cheeks, his glasses getting in the way. He hated the look in her eyes. The pity.

“Are you gay?”

He shook his head, despairingly. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Not completely anyway. I’m sorry.”

She cupped his face in her hands, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Don’t be sorry, silly! Why would you be sorry?”

“Because if I’m not gay I still like girls I just-”

“Shhh,” Pansy hushed him. “It’s alright. Maybe you’re bi?”

Harry tried to stop crying but it was no use. Everytime he blinked more tears flowed down his face. It felt unstoppable. It made him feel pathetic and cry more. 

“So... Draco, huh?” There was an amused glint in her eyes as she gave him a small smile.

Harry snorted as he laughed and cried at the same time. “Yeah, who’d have thought?” He said, self deprecating, rolling his eyes at himself.

“Oh, please, you guys are so close. I’ve never seen best friends like you two. It makes sense, after all these years-”

Harry crossed his arms across his chest protectively, feeling vulnerable. “It’s ridiculous. I have to get over him.”

Her brows drew together in confusion. “Why?”

“Pansy, we’re best friends,” Harry huffed. “Can you imagine how weird it would be if he found out I was head over heels for him?”

“Head over heels? That’s more than just a crush.”

Harry sat back, pulling out of arm's reach, and tried to calm down but he was so worked up. It had come over him so fast, the overwhelming rush. “I’m so stupid. I don’t know how I just figured it out.”

“You were probably in denial,” Pansy offered, shrugging. Of course she was right.

Harry tilted his head and bit the inside of his cheek. “How are you so chill about this?”

“About you liking Draco?”

Harry nodded. 

“Why wouldn’t I be chill?”

“Because the boy you’ve been dating just came out to you?”

“Harry, you’re one of my best friends. Besides, we can’t control our feelings.”

Harry nodded but averted his eyes and pressed his lips together. He felt so lost. 

“When did you figure it out?”

“When did I realise I was pathetically pining after my best friend?” Harry ran both hands through his hair. “When it finally dawned on me why I was so upset about seeing him make out with another guy. When seeing him eat a dripping nectarine and lick his fingers is enough to give me a boner.”

“What?! When?!”

“When the Clemontes came over. Draco did a little more than show Griffin the books his mother wanted him too. Then there was that time when we were playing cards.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it.”

“Merlin, what do I do now, Pans?” he asked, looking at her with pleading eyes.

“Tell him, Harry.”

“I can’t,” he scoffed. No way. “It would make things too weird.”

Pansy tucked her hair behind her ears and pursed her lips, thinking. “This is why you guys aren’t talking right now isn’t it? That kiss?”

“It doesn’t even matter. He was making out with Griffin and I-”

“And what Harry? As if that kid has anything on you! You’re Harry bloody Potter!”

The tears had finally stopped and he sniffed. “That doesn’t mean Draco likes me, Pansy.”

“Oh please, he’s as obsessed and doe eyed over you as you are over him-” she insisted.

“No. Pansy- please just stop? Don’t get my hopes up. If he liked me why was he making out with Clemonte? I just- I’ll get over it. I just need time.”

Pansy considered him, not looking convinced. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Pans,” he reassured her even though it felt like he could physically feel something breaking in his chest.

-x-

The train ride back to Hogwarts was brutal. Draco had been trying to get Harry to talk to him but he was always around Pansy, Theo or Blaise. Now they sat on opposite sides of the train compartment, avoiding eye contact and not talking to each other unless it was indirectly. 

“Truth,” Harry said, head leaned against the compartment wall. His glasses were slightly askew but he was too tired to reach up and adjust them. 

“Do you dance when you’re by yourself?” asked Theo.

Harry’s mouth curved into a small smile. “Sometimes. Truth or dare?”

Theo cackled, eyes gleaming. “I love the image of you bopping around by yourself like a nerd.”

“Truth or dare?” Harry persisted, rolling his eyes.

“Nuh uh. It’s Draco’s turn.”

“Truth,” Harry heard Draco muttered. 

Harry kept his eyes down. “What’s your favourite colour?” 

Draco knew it was a question with absolutely no thought behind it and that stung. “Green.”

Blaise snorted and flipped to the next page of his book. “Merlin, Draco, we get it. You’re proud to be in Slytherin,” he said, tone dry and sarcastic.

Draco wanted to argue that it was actually because it was the colour of Harry’s eyes but kept his mouth shut. He didn’t need to go exposing himself like that, even if imagining the looks on his friends faces made him think maybe it would be worth it. “Truth or dare, Zabini?”

Blaise didn’t even look up from his book. “Dare. I’m not a pussy.”

“Alright then. I dare you to make ‘that’s what she said’ jokes in McGonagall’s first class back.”

Theo cackled. “She might actually kill you, Zabini.”

Blaise gave him a withering look, his mouth pressed into a hard line. “You’re a git, Malfoy.” 

“Hey, you picked dare.” Draco smirked.

“You gonna tell a truth or do a dare, Pans?” Blaise asked. 

“Truth, I guess.”

“Why aren’t you and Potter attached at the hip anymore?”

Draco caught the look Pansy gave Harry and was suddenly very intrigued in her answer. 

Pansy pulled down the sleeves of her sweater and plastered on an unconvincing smile. “What’d’ya mean?”

“Did you two fight?” Blaise lowered his book and raised his eyebrows.

Her smile slipped. “No.”

“Then what?” Blaise persisted.

She hesitated. Draco saw the subtle nod Harry gave her and wondered what it meant. Pansy sighed. “We broke it off.”

The compartment was filled with a stunned silence. 

“Why?” Theo asked, voicing what they were all wondering.

“None of your business.” She held up her nails and examined them, refusing to talk about her and Harry anymore. "Truth or dare, Theodore?’

“But you have to-”

“Truth or dare?” Pansy said forcefully.

Theo scowled. “Dare.” 

“I dare you to let me put fake nails on you.” Pansy looked up from her nails and stared at him, a challenging look in her eyes

Theo met her stare, face blank, scanning hers to see how serious she was. Then his face split into an impish grin. “Can they be yellow?”

Pansy wrinkled her nose. “That is the ugliest possible colour you could pick.”

“Nope, orange is.” Theo looked all too pleased with himself, leaning back, crossing his leg over so his ankle rested on his knee, smirking. 

“I refuse to give you yellow or orange nails. Pick any other colour,” she told him, grimacing.

“Neon-”

“Theodore.”

Draco knew Theo was instigating on purpose, trying to rile her up. “Parkinson.”

“Are you trying to make me throw up?”

He beamed at her. “I would never.” 

“Pick a colour-”

“I was-!”

“-that isn’t yellow, orange or fucking neon,” Pansy exclaimed. 

Theo pouted, looking like a kicked puppy. “Pink.”

“Fine.”

His face lit up at the prospect. “Sparkly pink.”

Pansy rolled her eyes at him. “Fine.”

-x-

Pansy had known it would happen for some time, that didn’t make it any easier. 

It was the last evening of the winter break and students were milling around the common room, settling back in. They’d arrived around noon on the Hogwarts express and she’d only just finished unpacking her trunk when she’d received the letters. A Hogwarts house elf had delivered them to Pansy before snapping his fingers and vanishing in a puff of smoke. She sat down in a leather chair with a high back and stared at them, dread rising in her gut. She had a good guess about the contents of the letters. They came in thick yellow envelopes, the wax seal displaying the Parkinson family crescent. The first had her name written across the front in her mother's familiar elegant cursive. The other had her name across the front in her fathers loopy scrawl. The letters themselves weren’t anything impressive. They weren’t long. Only a few lines. 

Dearest Pansy, 

You’re father and I have news that may not come as a shock to you. We’ve been having problems that we just can’t work out despite our best efforts. As you may have noticed the two of us no longer live together. The last year we’ve taken some time apart and we both agree that it is better that way. Because of all this we feel that it is time that we divorced. We both still love you very much. Your father and I want you to know this is in no way your fault. Please write me back with any questions or concerns. 

Love,  
Mother

Pansy took a shaky breath. Without giving herself time to digest she opened her father’s letter. It was significantly more negative and passive aggressive. 

Pansy, 

Your mother and I have been together for a long time. When I first met her we were young and infatuated. Unfortunately infatuation isn’t enough to make a marriage last. But we had you, so we’ve been trying to make this work for years. It’s been harder since you left for Hogwarts. You know how your mother is, she’s crazy. I’ll never understand that woman or her logic. She’s so bossy I just couldn’t stand her anymore. 

Mothers have more influence on their kids than fathers and in my opinion your mother is an awful example for you. Just the worst, really. She’s failing you. 

I have no idea what we’ll do about custody. I’m staying in this manor in Italy. It’d be good to see you this summer I guess.

Father

Pansy re-read her father's letter a second time, her face twisting into a foul expression. “It’d be good to see you this summer I guess.” ? Was he serious?

“So when are the nails going on?”

Pansy startled and looked up from the letter, her head whipping around. Theodore was leaning on the back of the chair, his chin propped on his folded arms. Hurriedly she shoved her parents letters out of sight. To look at him she had to twist around in her chair.

She glared at Theodore accusingly. “You startled me.”

“I swear I didn’t mean to.” His eyes widened and his thick dark eyebrows rose. He had rather interesting features, Pansy thought. His brown hair was a rumpled wavy birds nest atop his head, nearly as bad as Harry’s. He had fine bone structure, a sharp jaw and a long, straight nose. His lips were full and plush and for a moment Pansy thought about kissing them. But that was silly. 

“Well you did.” Pansy did her best to calm her racing heart.

“I wasn’t exactly sneaking. So, nails?” He was smirking at her, his eyes gleaming. 

“You seem eager.” She wasn’t really in the mood to do nails right now. She mostly just wanted to have to evening to wallow in self pity. Maybe a distraction was what she needed right now though? Not only that but despite his pot habits Pansy found that for some irrational reason she had a soft spot for Theodore. He often got on her nerves but he was rather charismatic and they’d known each other for ages. 

“Who wouldn’t be excited about sparkly pink talons?” Theodore joked and she was suppressed a smile. 

“They aren’t talons.” Pansy’s nose crinkled and she furrowed her brows. 

He shrugged, coming around to her side so she didn’t have to twist around to see him. “They kind of are.” 

He was so irritating. He just always had to bicker with her. Pansy stood up. “Shut up, Theodore. Come on. The kit’s up in my dorm.”

Pansy led them up to her room, none of the girls she shared it with were back yet, and gestured for him to sit on her bed. He did, hesitantly, as if the bed might swallow him up. Pansy rolled her eyes to herself and knelt beside the bed. Sticking her head underneath, she peered around before spotting what she was looking for. Pansy pulled out a floral box. Sitting across from Theodore she placed it between them and took off the lid to pull out her nail kit. 

“So how does this work?” He asked nervously. Pansy riffled around and took out what she’d need. 

“Trust me.”

“I do.” 

Pansy glanced up into his face. Her breath caught. They were rather close. So close that she could see the way the green in his eyes mixed with the brown. So close she could have counted all of his freckles. So close the urge to press her lips to his dark pink ones was stronger than ever. 

Ducking her head back down she opened the kit, pulled out her wand and muttered a charm. One by one the fake plastic nails were clipped and shaped in the air before landing in a neat row in front of her. 

Pansy picked up the nail glue and applied it to the first nail. Doing her best to keep up a cool front she reached out for Theodores right hand. It was warm and smooth, exempting the calluses on his palm. She held her breath as she stuck the fake nail to his real one. 

“I-” Pansy cleared her throat. “-I just have to hold it down so it sticks better,” she explained to Theodore. 

They sat quietly as she did another one. 

“Hey, Pans?”

She glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

He looked worried, how brown creased. “This might not be my place so you know I’m sorry if this is intrusive but you looked upset reading that letter down in the common room.”

She clenched her jaw. “And?” 

“And I guess I was just wondering what’s wrong? If there’s anything I can do? If you want to talk or rant or anything.”

Pansy swallowed thickly. She’d never really had any serious conversations with Theodore. Those usually happened with Harry or Draco. But both of them had a lot going on at the moment and she didn’t want to bother them while they already had so much to think about. “My parents are getting a divorce.” She wasn’t sure why she told him. Pansy hadn’t really planned on telling anyone. But he’d offered and talking about her feelings had worked before in the past. 

His eyes filled with sympathy. It wasn’t a look she was used to seeing on his face. Usually they just joked around and teased each other. It felt like she was seeing a new side of him. “Shit, Pans, I’m so sorry.”

Pansy averted her eyes and looked down at his hand in hers. She pressed down on the last nail on his right hand and started on his left. “I knew it was going to happen. They stopped living together like a year ago.”

“Doesn’t make this any easier though.”

“No, I guess not. I don’t like change. I think that’s what I like least about this. It makes sense why they’re splitting up. They argued all the time, couldn’t spend any time in the same room together without getting into a nasty fight.” 

“Yeah, change is hard. Especially a big change like this with your parents.”

“It’s probably for the best. We’ll all be happier with less fighting.”

“You know it’s okay to be upset right? You don’t have to be so chill about this. It makes sense that it hurts.” 

Pansy finished with his left hand and reached for the nail polish. “I just don’t understand why it hurts. They made each other miserable. I knew it was coming for ages. They’ll be better off.” She tried to discreetly wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. “Why does it hurt so much?” she asked, voice cracking.

Theodore took her hands in his and squeezed them. “There’s a lot of psychology behind this that I don’t totally get. What I can tell you, something I’m sure you already know, feelings don’t always make sense. This is monumental. It’s a big change and it makes sense that you’re overwhelmed. They didn’t make you feel guilty about it, did they?”

“No. My mother’s letter was pretty good. My father’s made it seem like I’d hardly see him. He made it seem like the divorce was just mother’s fault. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.” 

“You can talk to me about it anytime. Wake me up in the middle of the night if you want.”

Her eyes swam with tears but she blinked them away. “Thanks, Theodore. Sorry you have to see me like this,” she sniffed.

He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t be sorry. I know you see me as an annoying git who you nag about not getting high but I’m always here for you, Pans.” He chuckled and Pansy’s cheeks warmed. “I know that sounds kinda cheesy but I’ve known you for what feels like forever and I want you to be happy. “ He peered at her from under his eyelashes, bashfully. 

Pansy laughed wetly as tears slipped down her cheeks. “You know Theodore I’m here for you too. I know I’m just the uptight bossy bitch who goes off on you about getting high but I care about you being happy too.” She pulled him into a hug and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, firm beneath her touch. He held on to her tightly and Pansy closed her eyes. Theodore was a steady comforting presence and she felt more solidly anchored now, breathing in his weirdly comforting blend of lemony fresh shampoo and cigarette smoke clinging to his clothes, than she had in a long time.

He only let go when she pulled away to wipe at her nose so it wouldn’t drip on his shoulder. That would have been really embarrassing and gross. 

The corners of Theodore’s eyes crinkled when he grinned. “You gonna paint my nails now?” He asked teasingly, voice gentle. 

“You’re such a dork.”

“I am not! I’m just excited to have that bad bitch vibe you have!”

“First of all, stop waving your arms around I can’t paint them when you’re gesturing weirdo. Secondly, I do not have a bad bitch vibe.”

“Uh, yeah, you totally do.”

“We’re just gonna have to agree to disagree.”

After Theodore left the girls dorm, very proud of his long pink sparkly fake nails, Pansy felt calmer. She wasn’t totally okay. It would take some time to accept and come to terms with her parents separation but already the weight that had been sitting on her chest felt a little lighter. 

-x-

The second semester of the school year was even crazier than the first. Harry was busy with Dumbledore’s Army, a group of students who actually wanted to learn how to defend themselves against the slowly but surely spreading darkness that was growing in the wizarding world, and trying to avoid all his friends who tended to nag him about studying for his OWLs. His main priority though was avoiding Draco. It filled him with guilt but seeing the other boy just made him feel even worse. 

He knew his friends knew something was up, but so far Pansy was the only one aware of the specifics. 

He sat beside her in Transfigurations while Draco and Theodore at the desk in front of them. McGonagall had just finished her lesson and Harry set down his quill, hand cramping from writing so much. 

“Now that you know what to do, it's time for you to actually execute the transfiguration. Please get into groups to share owls.”

“When are we ever going to need to transform an owl into opera glasses?” grumbed Theo, turning around to face Harry and Pansy.

“If you go to the opera and forget your opera glasses.”

“I don’t go to the opera. Even if I did, which I wouldn’t, the chances of me bringing an owl with me are a total of not. No owl? No opera glasses. This lesson is dumb.”

“I’m glad to know that’s how you feel about my class, Mister Nott,” McGonagall said from behind Theo, passing off a screech owl to Draco who took the creature and placed it on Harry and Pansy’s desk, in the middle of them all. 

Theo flushed a deep red. “Er- sorry, Professor. I didn’t realize you were behind me.”

“Evidently.” Mouth pressed into a hard line McGonagall walked away. 

“Nice going, Theodore.” Pansy smirked in amusement. 

“Piss off, Parkinson,” Theo sulked, slouching down his seat. 

“Where’s Blaise?” asked Pansy. 

“Sick,” replied Draco. 

Theo snorted. “Blaise definitely isn’t sick. He’s definitely just skipping class so he doesn’t have to do the ‘That’s what she said’ dare,” he grumbled.

After numerous tries only Draco, out of the four of them, had been successful in fully transforming the owl into opera glasses. Harry’s still had owl eyes for lenses, Pansy’s still had talons and Theo’s were feathered. It was hard going a whole class without joking around with Draco and smiling at him. There’d been one moment where they made eye contact when Harry had nearly completely succeeded, the sole flaw being that the lenses were tinted yellow, and he’d looked up to Draco in excitement. When he’d looked into the other boys eyes they were full of pride and Harry’s chest had swelled with happiness before reality caught up to him and he’d hastily looked away. 

He saw Theo look between them both, thick brows furrowed in confusion as he attempted to figure out what was going on with them. Seeming to give up he broke the awkward silence, “Pans and I are going to Hogsmeade this weekend are you two coming?” 

“I have to study for OWLs,” said Draco stiffly.

“I’ll come,” Harry told them.

But when the weekend came around and Harry had walked into the common room Draco had been standing with Pansy and Theo looking ready to go in tight dark denim jeans and a black pea coat. He’d claimed that he needed to take a break from studying. Harry had done some fast thinking to get out of going and said he had to practice for the next quidditch game, maybe he’d go to Hogsmeade with them next time. 

The crushed look on Draco’s face had filled him with guilt. But even if he stopped avoiding his best friend how could he explain to him why he’d been avoiding him in the first place? How could Harry ever tell him he was attracted to him. The simple answer was that he couldn’t. 

-x-

Draco had never had so much trouble writing a letter before in his entire life. He’d restarted it more times than he wanted to acknowledge. He stared down at the blank parchment, quill hovering. Draco genuinely had no clue how his parents would respond to the news, making him almost not want to write the letter at all. What they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, and in turn hurt him, right? 

But he couldn’t not tell them. He’d always gotten along with his parents and they’d always been able to work out their differences in the past. 

They loved him. They loved him now, before the letter, surely they’d love him after.

Or maybe they wouldn’t. Draco dwelled on the possibility. Maybe they would disinherit him. Perhaps they would cut him off, take his trust fund and never speak to him again. Maybe they’d be disgusted and hate him and pretend he didn’t exist. What would they tell their friends, the media? 

Draco dropped his quill, clenched his hands into fists and squeezed his eyes shut. No. The thought of them being that revolted by him was too painful. He was their son. Their only son. His father bragged about him to family friends and colleagues and teased him with affection in his eyes. They had inside jokes and made faces at each other behind his mother's back when she was going off and not looking at them. His mother gave the best hugs and spoke of him with such pride to guests. She soothingly stroked his hair back from his face when he was stressed or sick and gossiped with him about her pompous self-absorbed ‘friends’. They went out for family dinners and had tea and brunch and cocktail parties together. They played polo and board games and had puzzle nights. 

They loved him now, they had to love him after. 

Draco relaxed his shoulders and tried to untense. Picking back up his quill he started writing. He’d been grossly overthinking the letter but it was easy to write once he got started. 

Dear mother and father, 

I’m writing to share some news. I wish the following contents of this letter could be shared in person, however, I thought about waiting until the summer but decided I couldn’t wait any longer. 

Really, it isn’t news so much as I have known what I’m about to share for some time. I suppose the reason I didn’t tell you sooner was because I was scared of the way you would both react. 

Before I continue, I find it important to express that I have always acted in a way that I’d hoped would make you proud of me. I would never intentionally attempt to disappoint or disrespect you. 

I’ve been trying to think of what the best way to tell you is. Upon much thought and contemplation, I've come to the conclusion that instead of beating around the bush, I'll tell you out right, plainly, as it is. 

I’m attracted to boys. I’m gay.

This isn’t a phase, though I have in the past wished that it was. I used to beg any higher power, if there was one, to be straight. Merlin knows my life would be a much easier one if I could choose to like girls. I’ve tried to ignore this part of me, hoping that with time maybe it would go away. However, it has not. And with this time a different outcome has come about. I used to be revolted by this part of me. Before that I was in denial that it was even true. With time though I have accepted it. I will not creep around in shame. I will not be weighed down by guilt about a part of me that I cannot change or control. 

If you’re disappointed I suppose I understand. Not about my homosexuality but because your son is not the person you thought he was. The last fifteen years you’ve raised someone who isn’t exactly who you thought him to be. 

I do hope that your love for me does not change. 

Love,  
Draco

-x-

The stands thundered as the audience roared. Draco wondered at his peers ability to be so lively as rain poured down on them all. A small smile curved his lips as he watched the rest of the slytherin quidditch team tackle Harry the moment his feet touched the ground. The Gryffindors looked miserable. The game had been so close, Draco couldn’t blame them. It had been a tie all the way up until Harry had pulled some impressive moves to catch the snitch. 

Draco felt a flutter of pride in his chest at his best friends skill but crushed it promptly. Harry had been avoiding him for, what was it now? Had it really been almost two months?

It was weird not having him there to talk to, sitting beside other people in class and panicking every time they so much as made eye contact. 

Things had been awful between them ever since Harry had caught him making out with Griffin pushed up against a bookshelf in the library. He’d tried to go after Harry but the other boy had gone to the guest room and bolted the door shut, refusing to talk to him. Since then Draco had tried numerous times to explain but Harry was never alone and he only ever talked to him indirectly when the others were around. It was infuriating. 

Draco couldn’t figure out what Harry was avoiding him for. What did he have to be upset about? Was he actually homophobic? He’d said he didn’t care that Draco was gay but that didn’t seem to be true. Draco had thought their friendship was stronger than that, surely this couldn’t be the end for them.

He’d felt hurt before. Heart achingly upset that his best friend wouldn’t speak to him. Now anger swelled in his chest. This was ridiculous. He couldn’t take it anymore. Pushing past rowdy students, Draco left the quidditch stands.He wasn’t going to put up with this bullshit anymore.

Draco stood outside the slytherin changing room, waiting for Harry to come out. He’d known the other boy long enough to know he’d want to shower and change before the celebration party that was probably being put together now. Draco stood, skulking in the shadows and waited for all of Harry’s teammates to leave the changeroom. He counted each of Harry’s teammates exit the changeroom, waiting for Harry to come out.

When Timothy and Gabriel, the last of Harry’s teammates, left the change room Draco caught the door as it was closing and slipped through, impatient with waiting. 

Harry had his back to Draco when he walked in but he turned at the sound of the door opening. Harry’s eyes went round at the sight of him, his mouth fell into a small o. He was dressed in his quidditch jersey, the sleeves pushed to his elbows, dark jeans and converse. His damp hair was a mess. The sight of him made Draco’s heart hurt.

“Draco, what are you doing here?” Harry sputtered weakly. 

A fresh surge of frustration coursed through him. “We need to talk.”

Pain flashed across Harry’s face. “The team is waiting for-”

“They can wait a little longer,” interrupted Draco, feeling more angry. Harry had no good reason to feel hurt right now he didn’t get to be upset. “Why are you avoiding me?” The vulnerability he felt leaked through into his voice when he spoke.

“Not now-” 

“Then when?” Draco demanded. 

Harry picked up his sports bag from the bench and his broom that had been propped up against the wall. He shouldered passed Draco, “Later-”

-x- 

Today’s quidditch match had been the most intense one Harry had ever played. Gryffindor and Slytherin had been neck in neck the entire time. There’d been a world’s worth of weight on his shoulders to catch the snitch and win the game for slytherin. His teammates were counting on him, he couldn’t let them down. Adrenaline had surged through Harry when he’d felt his fingers slip around and clasp the snitch. Relief had swept through him and he hadn’t been able to stop smiling. He knew he must have looked mad.

His ears had instantly filled with the sound of the stands erupting with cheers. When he landed he was instantly swarmed by his teammates and pulled into a rib crushing embrace. He was so proud that all their hard work had paid off.

They’d gone to the changeroom with the promise of a party waiting for them in the common room. His teammates had wanted to wait for him to all go up together but Harry had assured them he’d manage on his own. 

The sense of euphoria had settled into a fuzzy buzz in his chest as he showered and changed. 

“You sure you don’t want us to wait, Potter?” Gabriel asked. He and Timothy stood with their brooms in hand and bags over their shoulders.

“Nah, you two head on up to the party. I’ll only be a few minutes longer.” 

However, only seconds after Gabriel and Timothy had left, their banter fading, he heard the change room door swing open again. He turned, thinking maybe one of the boys had left something behind, but froze upon coming face to face with Draco. 

A million emotions had overwhelmed him all at once. His shock quickly turning to guilt and frustration when Draco had tried to confront him about why he’d had been avoiding him the last two months. He’d tried to leave the change room but Draco had grabbed his wrist so he couldn’t walk away. The warmth of his skin sent shivers down Harry’s spine. Harry turned to pull his hand back and was forced to face him. Draco’s face was paler than usual, dark bags beneath his eyes, rain slicked hood pulled up over his head, he looked awful. Harry couldn’t look away. Seeing Draco this miserable made him feel as if there were shards of glass being torn through his gut. 

“Why are you still avoiding me?” Draco’s voice cracked and something in Harry broke with it. But he couldn’t do this or he’d say something he’d regret saying.

“Just drop it-”

Draco’s face twisted with anger. He sneered, “I WILL NOT-”

“Stop yelling-”

Tears sprung to Draco’s eyes and threatened to spill down his cheeks. He blinked furiously trying to keep them from doing so. He stabbed a finger at Harry. “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND!”

Harry was taken aback by that. He fumbled for words. “I am. Of course I am-”

“I thought you were fine with me being gay!” 

Pain wrenched through him as the tears in Draco’s eyes fell. “You know I am, Draco. Why would you think I’m not?’

Draco waved his hands in the air. “I don’t know, Harry! Maybe because ever since you saw Clemonte and I snogging in the library you won’t even look me in the eye!”

That made something in him snap. Harry couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Maybe that’s because everytime I see you all I see is Clemonte pressing you up against a bookshelf and sticking his tongue down your throat!”

Draco hiccoughed, trying to retain his sobs, he glared daggers. “And?”

“And? And, what?” he demanded.

The other boy rolled eyes and clenched his jaw. “Why do you care? Why are you thinking about that?!”

“Because it makes me jealous, alright? I’m jealous. And angry. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?!”

Draco eyed him apprehensively. “Why?”

“What?”

“Why does it make you jealous?”

Harry looked away and crossed his arms tight across his chest. Draco was really going to make him spell it out. “Because I want it to be me,” he mumbled.

Draco stared at him, eyes round. The other boy was suddenly speechless. They stood in silence. Harry expected any reaction except the way he actually did. 

Draco stepped toward him until Harry had to tilt his head up to see into Draco’s eyes. His head was spinning and his head was blank. He was close, so close. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. Close enough to feel his breath ghosting across his lips. Harry felt light headed, Merlin, he was breathless. Draco’s pale pink lips were slightly parted and it was with great effort that Harry pulled his eyes away from them. Draco stared down at him, eyes lidded. Harry watched his grey eyes fall to his lips before flicking back up to look into Harry’s. “Can I kiss you?” Draco asked in a horse whisper.

Harry’s lashes fluttered. He could hear himself breathing, shallow, flush with desire. He reached out and knotted his fists in the fabric of the other boys jacket and pulled Draco down into a kiss.  
The first brush of their lips was gentle, hesitant. Harry gasped softly, his mouth fell open, lips parting. Draco’s tongue dragged across his lower lip and heat blossomed in Harry’s chest. Their kissing grew deeper and deeper, sending delicious shudders through him. He tasted like rain and salty tears. Goosebumps broke out across his skin. Harry gave himself up to Draco’s hot opening lips. The way he kissed drove every last thought from Harry’s head. 

Draco’s arms circled him and pulled him impossibly closer. Harry couldn’t get enough of him. His hands moved, cupping Draco’s face, pushing back his hood, scraping his fingers through his hair which was soft like warm silk before he wound his arms around Draco’s neck. He was delirious with pleasure. He groaned softly, low in his throat. 

It was nothing like kissing Pansy. Sure, it was still wet and warm but where Pansy was all soft skin and curves Draco was firm and tall. This was everything. Draco pulled back enough to lick at his jaw and kiss the tender skin of his neck. Harry moaned and felt the curve of Draco’s mouth as he smiled against Harry’s neck. 

“I should- we should go to the common room. People- they’re expecting us,” Harry said, voice ragged. 

“I’m sure they can manage for five more minutes without us,” Draco grinned. 

Harry let Draco keep kissing him. 

-x-

Harry reached out and cupped Draco’s face in his hands to deepen the kiss. Draco gave a little breathy moan that made Harry melt. To his disappointment a second later the other boy pulled away. “We should go meet the others.”

The desk he was sitting on in the empty classroom they were using was uncomfortable but not so uncomfortable that he wanted to stop what they were doing.

“Or we could ditch and stay here,” Harry mused, refusing to let Draco get away by looping legs around the other boys waist and his fingers through his belt loops and dragging him back to him. He pressed himself closer and languidly kissed Draco’s neck and relished in the noises that came from him. 

Draco tilted his head back and clung to Harry, releasing a trembling breath. Between breathy gasps he said, “We said we’d go to Hogsmeade with them. If we don’t go soon they’ll know something’s up.”

Harry nibbled gently at Draco’s neck in that way he knew drove the other boy crazy. Draco swore and dug his fingers into Harry’s skin a little harder. Harry grinned against Draco’s skin at how responsive the other boy was to even the slightest touch. “Would it be so bad if they did?”

He felt Draco tense beneath him. “You want to tell them?”

Harry felt a blush rise to his cheeks, looking up at Draco he shrugged. “Well maybe not directly but if they figured it out themselves or asked us…”

Draco planted one last firm kiss on Harry’s lips. Harry closed his eyes and tried to wrap his arms around Draco to draw him closer to him. However, the other boy was already stepping away, grinning, as he bent over to pick up his coat from the floor where he’d dropped it earlier to better occupy his hands with the ever so important task of gripping Harry’s hips. “We’re not ditching. Pansy would be pissed. Let’s go.”

“Fine,” Harry grumbled, already missing the feel of Draco wrapped around him. “I just have to get my coat from the dorms.”

“Meet you down there?”

Harry hummed. “I’ll be fast.”

He was half way out the door when Draco called out, “Grab my scarf while you’re there, won’t you?”

Harry grinned and winked before dashing down to the slytherin dormitory. He couldn’t help the mad grin on his face as he whipped around corners and took the stairs two at a time. Draco made him entirely too happy. 

Bursting through the common room entrance he almost knocked down a pair of second years. “Sorry!” he blurted, not bothering to so much as slow down on his way to his dorm. 

The moment he pushed open the dormitory door Harry snatched his coat up from the back of his desk chair and struggled to put his arms through before he realized it was inside out. As Harry turned it right side out he rummaged through Draco’s things trying to find his green and grey striped scarf. It wasn’t on his desk so maybe it was in his trunk. Pulling the thing out from under Draco’s four poster bed Harry tossed back the lid and dug around. Spotting the scarf, Harry grabbed it and pulled as he stood. He was in quite a hurry to not hold up his friends any later than he already had. 

As he pulled out the scarf a flurry of parchment came with it. Harry knelt and meant to shove the parchment back but the writing on it wasn’t Draco’s familiar neat cursive and it made him pause. He glanced over the parchment and quickly realized it was a letter. From Griffin Clemonte. His smile fell and his face hardened as he read it. 

Disbelief crashed over him as his heart fell to his feet and time stopped. All the giddy happiness he’d felt earlier was gone, replaced by something much darker. 

He’d thought he’d meant something to Draco. He’d thought maybe the other boy had felt at least a fraction for him of what he felt for Draco. Apparently not. 

-x-

Draco held him back from rushing toward the veil. At first Harry had struggled against him. Something in him was ripping and tearing apart. He could physically feel the pain in his chest. It was agonizing and he couldn’t see straight. His knees gave out from beneath him and had Draco not been supporting him Harry would have collapsed to the ground. 

He knew people were watching, knew his friends were probably staring at him as he fell apart, but couldn’t find it in himself to care enough to pull himself together. 

“He’s dead,” Harry said, choking on a sob. 

Draco swept him into a tight embrace. Harry went limp in his arms and squeezed his eyes shut as the grief tore through him.

When he opened his eyes again the grief had hardened to something cold. He was no longer crying. Something in him was aching. Harry stared at the veil his godfather had fallen into. “It hurts,” he whispered, barely able to get the words out. “Why does it physically hurt?” 

Harry felt Draco’s fingers stroke gently through his hair. He shifted his gaze, without moving his head, from the veil to Draco’s face. “Of course it hurts. It will for a long time, love.” 

A fresh wave of tears came to his eyes. Harry cried onto Draco’s shoulder. 

-x-

Harry curled around Draco who slept on his back. It was uncomfortable but Draco didn't want to wake Harry. A tear stain was drying on his shirt and Draco tried to focus on that instead of his thoughts. He’d been meaning to ask Harry why things between them had shifted so suddenly from better than ever to tense and awkward. Then Harry had a nightmare and they’d rushed to the Ministry of Magic to save Harry’s godfather only for Sirius to come to save Harry and die at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange, his cousin, Draco’s aunt and one of the Dark Lords most loyal and dedicated followers. 

Harry’s voice in the dark startled him. “Everything is falling apart.” 

“I didn’t know you were awake.”

“How could I sleep?”

Draco wasn’t sure how to reply. “We’ll get through it. You will. I’m here for you, I’m always here for you.”

After a moment of silence Draco thought maybe Harry wouldn’t say anything else. Then he said, “I jinxed it.”

“What’d’you mean?”

His voice was cold, void of emotion. “I didn’t think things could get worse. This makes things so much worse.” 

It felt like Harry was speaking in riddles. “I don’t understand.”

“I found the letter,” Harry confessed, sitting up. Draco switched on the bedside light and squinted at Harry, eyes adjusting. Harry was pushing his glasses onto his face. “When I was going through your trunk to find your scarf for you. It was an accident, I shouldn’t have read it, but I found the letter from Clemonte.”

That answered a lot of questions. “Oh. Harry-”

“I just- I guess I thought since we’ve been, you know, well I guess I just thought I meant more to you. Even though we hadn’t talked about it yet, what we were, I assumed we were something,” Harry said, grounding out emphasis on the last word. 

“That letter isn’t what you think it is.”

A muscle in his jaw twitched. He glowered. “It’s not Griffin bloody Clemonte professing his feelings for you?” 

Draco blanched. “Well, yes-”

“I’m not daft, Draco,” Harry snapped, bitterly, standing up and pacing. “The letter is pretty self explanatory. It’s a love letter. Clemonte goes on and on about how much that evening in the library, when he stuck his tongue down your throat, meant to him. I’d kind of caught onto the gist of it when he compared your hair to winter fire and your skin to fine porcelain. I especially liked that part when he said your lips are as pink as the petals that will bloom on the cherry blossom trees next spring and even softer to kiss-”

“For Merlin’s sake, Harry-” The other boys pacing was making him dizzy.

Harry spoke over him, “He wants you to come up to his villa in Italy for the summer! Do you know why? Well, that’s a dumb question of course you do. You’ve read the letter. You know he wants to court you. Do you think he’s already sat down for lunch with your father to as for your hand in marriage? Do you think he’s gone to tea with your mother to pick out the-”

That was it. Draco couldn’t listen to this ridiculousness any longer. “Harry Potter, you’re a right plonker if you think I like Griffin Clemonte.” 

That seemed to shut him up. 

“What?” Harry stood stock still, his face was flushed from his rant and his expression was one of bewilderment.

“Is this why you’ve been acting weird? You think I have romantic feelings for Griffin?”

“Well, don’t you?” Draco shook with laughter and Harry stared at him, flummoxed. “You’re laughing. Why are you laughing at me?”

“You think I’ve been writing flowery love letters to Griffin?”

“He’s clearly in love with you!” Harry exclaimed, sounding half hysterical. “I didn’t think it could get worse. Now things are significantly worse. He’s gone. He’s dead and everything’s falling apart!”

“Not everything.”

“Sirius is dead,” Harry said, voice cracking, sadness clouding his features.

“I’m not in love with Griffin Clemonte.” The moment he the words were out he felt stupid. Harry was clearly devastated over his godfathers death and here Draco was clearing up his feelings for Harry as if that was anywhere near as important. 

Harry looked unconvinced. “You’re not?”

“No, you nutter! You read a letter Clemonte wrote to me. You never read what I wrote back.”

“So?” 

Draco’s face twisted. “So, maybe Clemonte can just go and fall for someone after sticking his tongue down their throat but that doesn’t mean I do.”

“I’m confused.” 

“You read one letter. There were quite a few others you didn’t read and without them you’ve missed a lot and jumped to assumptions that are quite incorrect. I wrote back Clemonte saying I was flattered but didn’t feel the same way. Did you read the letter where he wrote back saying if I’d only give him a chance he was sure he could make me fall for him? Or the one where I wrote back saying I’d already fallen for someone else?”

Draco could almost see the dots connecting in Harry’s head. “And by someone you mean...?” 

So he was going to make Draco spell it out for him. Merlin, it was like Harry was being purposely oblivious and thick headed. “I mean you, you dumbass.”

Harry sat heavily on the bed. “You like me?” 

“I thought you knew that considering I’ve been snogging you at every opportunity possible,” Draco said, blushing.

“Yeah, well, you snogged Clemonte too,” said Harry, pointedly.

“I had to watch you and Pansy eating each others faces off all the time for a year!”

Harry snorted. His eyes flicked up to Draco’s, hopefully. “So you’re not going to Italy with Clemonte this summer?”

“I’m not going anywhere with Clemonte ever.”

“Because you like me?” Harry smiled softly. 

“Apparently so,” said Draco fondly.

Draco physically felt Harry relax at the confession. Harry yawned and he rubbed at his eyes, still puffy from crying. “This is too many feelings for one day.”

Draco nodded. There was a slight sting in his chest but he knew Harry had gone through enough as it was today without having to talk about how he felt for Draco. “Fair enough.” He waited for Harry to crawl back under the covers before he switched back off the light. When Harry snuggled into his arms any of Draco’s remaining tension ebbed away. 

“Draco?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really glad you aren’t going anywhere with Clemonte ever.”

Warmth bubbled in Draco’s chest. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”


	8. Ch. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all in this time of lockdown I’ve had plenty of time to become re inspired to finish Raised a Malfoy. Hopefully it doesn't take me as long to post chapter 9 (the final chapter!) as it did for me to post this one. Enjoy!

Sixth year

“Pansy’s mother lives here alone?” Harry marvelled at the Parkinson manor. Night was falling fast but there was still enough light to see how extraordinary the exterior of the manor was. The grounds were expansive and green, littered with statues and shaped shrubbery. The manor itself was castle-like in appearance and Harry felt slightly intimidated by the large knocker on the door they stood before.

Draco’s face scrunched up. “Don’t be ridiculous, Darling. It’s not as if she does the gardening or cleaning herself. She must have house elves.”

Harry rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “Seems unnecessary to use the knocker. Would it be weird if I just knocked?”

“Obviously. The knocker isn’t there just for decoration-”

“Are you two going to just stand there bickering?” Harry and Draco turned to see Theo smirking as he strolled toward the manor, a familiar glint in his eyes.

“Well, hullo, Theo. Have a nice summer?” Harry grinned back.

“Been a bit boring. Tonight ought’a be interesting though, eh?” The boy said, an impish grin on his face.

“Yes, the Weird Sisters are known for their over the top performances,” Draco agreed, hugging Theo back when the other boy embraced him.

“Well let’s go in, shall we?” He said, after stepping away from hugging Harry. Theo picked up the knocker and slammed it down on the thick wood of the door. The sound was joltingly loud and abrasive.

“Is that gel in your hair, Nott?” Draco asked. Harry squinted and sure enough Theo’s hair had a sheen to it, swept back in a way he’d never had it before.

“Piss off-”

The door swung open, “You’re here!” She shrieked with happiness, cutting off Theo and knocking him back by the force of Pansy throwing her arms around his neck.

Harry thought he saw Theo’s cheeks flush pink as he hugged her back but was distracted by Draco’s hand sliding into his own. He glanced up at his boyfriend's face, affection flooding through him. The porch light was harsh but Draco still looked good, his sharp features appeared even more striking than usual.

Pansy pulled back from Theo and pulled Harry and Draco into an equally tight embrace. “It’s so good to see my boys! I’ve missed you all so much, the summer felt so long being apart from you all for so many weeks. Blaise and Adam are already inside, c’mon in.”

Who is Adam? Harry wondered to himself.

As the three of them followed her into the entryway Harry got a good look at her. Pansy looked older, she’d cut off her long black hair and it barely brushed her shoulders now. She also had bangs. It suited her very nicely.

"I like the new look, Pans,” Theo said.

Pansy grinned up at him, eyes twinkling. "Thanks, Theodore."

Harry shared a knowing look with Draco.

“Don’t take your shoes off,” Pansy told them. “I’ll go tell Blaise and Adam you’re here and we can get going right away.”

There was that name again. Theo voiced Harry’s thoughts, “Who’s Adam?” He asked, brows furrowed.

“My boyfriend.”

Theo’s smile faded and he stood gapping as Pansy walked away. “Did she say boyfriend?”

Draco cleared his throat awkwardly.. “That is what I heard.”

“Since when’d she get one’a those?”

Draco shrugged. “Must’ve been at some point this summer.”

Harry’s eyes caught on Blaise making his way down the stairs. “You lot are late.”

Harry chuckled. “Good to see you too, Zabini.”

Blaise’s nose crinkled. “What are you wearing, Potter?”

“A shirt? and jeans?”

“Your shirt is the colour of piss.”

Draco pursed his lips. “Don’t bother, I already told him. He refused to change,” Draco bemoaned. 

“It was the way you said it,” Harry pouted.

Blaise pressed his lips together, his revulsion clear. “So you’re wearing a piss coloured shirt to spite Draco?”

Harry rolled his eyes at his friends dramatics. “If your piss is this shade of yellow, Zabini, you are intensely dehydrated.”

“It’s as yellow as a dandelion! A weed! How can you leave the house looking like that and think it's acceptable! Draco, do you kiss him when he looks like this?!”

“Course he does,” Harry said, smirking.

“You make it very hard.” But there was a soft fondness in Draco’s eyes.

Blaise makes a gagging noise. “Gross. You look like a bloody Hufflepuff.”

Harry was about to pull Draco in for a kiss to tease Blaise when he caught sight of Pansy and a boy who must’ve been Adam descending the stairs. He had broad shoulders and straight black hair. He moved with a lithe grace that reminded Harry of the way Draco moved.

“Boys, this is Adam. Adam these are the boys,” Pansy said, introducing them. “Draco, Harry, you’ve already met Blaise, and Theodore.”

“Pansy’s told me all about you guys.” Adam’s eyes fixed on Theodore and he smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes. He extended his hand, palm down. Most people wouldn’t have noted the significance in the way Adam had extended his hand, palm down, but Draco had given Harry a quick history of handshaking and the different ways you could go about it a couple years ago. Adam was trying to establish his dominance.

Theo, initially in the submissive position, stepped forward on his left foot and moved into Adam’s personal space. This forced Adam to reorient his hand, palm now vertical.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Theo said, looking him right in the eye.

“Alright, let’s get going,” Blaise said, breaking the iciness. “We don’t want to be late.”

While Adam was helping Pansy into a light summer jacket Harry overheard Blaise speak to Theo. “What was that about?” he whispered between his teeth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” seethed Theo, turning his back, a crease between his brows.

-x-

By the end of the evening Harry could barely hear the music had been so loud, his feet were sore from standing so long and he was two seconds away from losing it with Theo and Adam. The whole night had been a testosterone battle between the two boys. It was exasperating to watch them go at it. Harry had just wanted a fun night with his best mates before the start of a new school year but so far he’d hardly been able to focus on anything else over Theo and Adam’s passive aggressive bickering.

“You’re all sleeping over at my house,” Pansy said. “We can have a nice brunch tomorrow after sleeping in. Maybe play some croquet? Talk about our summers?”

“Sounds nice to me,” said Adam, sliding his arm around Pansy’s waist.

Theo’s eyes narrowed at the possessiveness of the gesture. “Yes, delightful,” he said, forcing a smile.

“Everyone else is seeing the idiocy behind all this right?” Blaise asked, coming up beside Harry and Draco.

“It’s impossible to miss,” grumbled Draco.

Harry tucked his arm through his boyfriends. “So Theo likes Pansy?”

“Apparently so.”

“Weird.”

-x-

Harry walked out of the bathroom, wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his palm, just finished brushing his teeth. He could see Draco out of the corner of his eye, already in bed, reading. Coming around to his side of the bed he chucked his (piss coloured) shirt to some far end of the room and shoved his pants down, letting them drop to the floor. Harry was in the middle of crawling under the covers when he froze, glancing up at Draco, doing a double take.

“Those are new.”

Draco looked up from his book and Harry got a full view. “Huh?”

Harry stared at the thin, rectangular, wiry frames Draco wore. “When’d you get reading glasses?”

Draco’s cheeks coloured, self conscious. He set his book down. “Couple weeks ago.”

Harry bit his lower lip and leaned forward, planting a kiss on Draco’s unsuspecting lips. He kissed him once more, harder. “You look very handsome.”

Draco gave him a tired smile. Tired in a sad kind of way. He had looked that way the whole night. Harry hadn’t wanted to say anything before he was sure, however, now he was certain something was wrong.

“What’s up with you?” Harry asked gently, sitting facing his boyfriend.

Draco paused, seeming to consider his answer. With a soft sigh he said, “My parents went into hiding.”

Harry was stunned. He hadn’t been sure what to expect but that hadn’t been it. “What?”

“To escape him.” Draco didn’t need to say who ‘him’ was. It was obvious.

“Voldemort.” Draco nodded, confirming what they both already knew. “Where’d they go?”

Draco sunk further into the pillows he had propped up behind him to support his back while he’d been reading. “I’m not sure,” he confessed, voice barely above a whisper.

Harry stared, still shocked. “What the hell?”

Draco winced. “They wanted me to come with them. You too.”

Harry squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. No no no no no. “Back up. Slow down. What?!”

“They tried to convince Dumbledore but the old man refused, said you had to go to Hogwarts,” Draco explained, shrugging, “and I’m not leaving without you.”

Harry stood up and covered his face with his hands. His heart pounded against his chest, so hard. His thoughts were reeling.

“Are you mad?” Draco asked him.

Harry sat back down beside Draco, heavily. He took a deep breath in, trying to hold it together, breathed out. He looked up at Draco miserably. “You should have gone with them.”

Now it was Draco’s turn to stare in shock. “What?”

“Fuck, Draco,” Harry’s voice cracked. Tears welled in his eyes and he angrily blinked them back. He was so bloody sick of crying all the time. It left him with swollen puffy eyes, feeling totally emotionally drained. “You’ll die because of me. Do you not understand how dangerous-”

“You moron!” Draco sat up, pushing back the covers, his book falling aside. “Of course I understand. It’s because I understand that I stayed behind. How could you think I’d ever leave you?”

Harry fell into Draco’s arms and clung to him desperately. They fell asleep curled into each other, the knowledge that something they couldn’t stop, something dark, was coming.

-x-

Theo was particularly miserable to be around for the last week of summer. He spent the days by himself instead of with them, wandering aimlessly around the house, sulking, leaving rooms when others came in.

Draco tried talking to him but Theo would just get defensive and grumpy and stalk away saying there was nothing wrong.

On the last day of August the group of them were packed for school and spending their last free hours playing croquet outside on the grounds. Draco wore a light pair of denim jeans and a loose white button up with the sleeves rolled up. Harry was wearing a textured ban-lon shirt with panels of colour down the front with a pair of oakbrook casual slacks. Draco had bought them for him. He’d bought the other boy a lot of new clothes over the summer. Blaise was dressed in his usual immaculate dark pants and shirt. Pansy wore a pretty floral dress that skimmed the grass and had loose sleeves that dipped over her shoulder but cut off just after. Draco wondered if Adam had worn a shirt that matched Pansy’s floral dress on purpose.

“Kiss me and give me luck,” Harry said, from behind him. Draco turned and ran his hands up his boyfriends lean chest and over his broad shoulders. He gave him a quick but firm kiss. He’d never thought of himself as much of one for PDA but with Harry…

He pushed his boyfriend away before things could escalate in front of their friends. “Stop making everyone stand around and take your turn,” he said with no real bite behind his words. Harry winked, a smug look on his face that sent a thrill through Draco.

A cool breeze swept over the grounds and Pansy used the hand she wasn’t using to hold her croquet racket to hold onto her wide brimmed beige hat so it didn’t blow off. It was a humid day and Draco was thankful for the breeze that blew through his loose clothes and gave him a brief relief from the heat. There was something different about this wind though. It smelled like fall.

He let his thoughts meander and drift as he watched Harry take his turn and send his orange ball straight through the gate with a solid swing. When his boyfriend turned back to him, a triumphant look lighting up his face Draco gave him a lazy smile back.

“You do give me luck!” Harry called out to him.

Merlin, he was lucky. Harry wandered back to his side. “Pansy’s turn now isn’t it?”

Both boys turned to look for the girl. She was standing, arms on her hips, shaking her head, face blank, staring at Adam who was waving his arms angrily.

“Trouble in paradise?” Harry said.

Draco lifted his eyebrows. “So it would seem.”

They watched Adam storm away, heading in the direction of the manor. Pansy turned away and took her turn, a fierce calculating look in her eyes. Her ball followed Harry’s right through the gate and struck Harry’s ball, sending it way off course.

“Hey!” Harry protested.

“What was that about?” Blaise asked Pansy.

“Nothing,” Pansy replied coolly.

-x-

Draco was baffled when the previously inconsolable Theo came out from the manor to play the next round with them. Draco wasn’t sure what had flipped the switch but gone was the Theo who’d been completely impossible to spend any time with and now he laughed cheerful and smiled brightly. The group of them finally caught up properly (“You did what?!” “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Theodore.” “You went to a nudists beach?!” “Mhmm”).

“Why’s Theo so happy all of a sudden?” Blaise inquired suspiciously.

Harry had no clue. “Dunno,” he answered honestly.

The reason behind the quick switch in Theo’s attitude became evident later on when it became clear that Pansy’s argument with Adam had not been ‘Nothing’. Adam didn’t have dinner that evening or breakfast the next morning with them. Adam seemed to have departed Parkinson manor.

The question they were all wondering was answered as they packed their trunks for Hogwarts into a red Bentley that would take them to platform nine and three quarters.

“Never liked that prick,” Theo said happily to Harry, Draco and Blaise. “Their relationship would have never worked anyway, long distance would have been too much since he goes to school in America. Pansy told me herself, that’s why they broke up.” Theo smiled broadly. “Long distance.” He said the last words the way one might say ‘Free Firebolt’ or ‘No Homework.’ The three of them watched as Theo jogged back to the manor to grab Pany’s trunk from her and carry it to the car from her.

They all shared a look but kept their mouths closed.

-x-

Steam billowed on the platform and the group quickly made their way onto the train. They were there early enough for some of the good compartments to still be free.

“Looking good, Parkinson!” came a voice from a small group of seventh year boys.

Pansy rolled her eyes but there was a smirk on her lips that told Harry she wasn’t disappointed with the attention.

“Merlin, what a bunch of wankers,” Theo muttered sourly.

The ride to Hogwarts was nice until one of the boys from earlier opened the compartment door.

“You know, you’ve always been cute Parkinson but damn this summer did you good.”

“Sorry, you are?” she batted her eyelashes up at him.

He leaned against the compartment door frame. Harry didn’t miss the way Theo tensed up. “Blake Westenhaver. I’m in seventh year, Ravenclaw,” the older boy smiled. He was good looking with a sharp jawline and long brown hair that he kept having to push back from his face. Whenever he did this the silver rings on his fingers flashed.

“Hm, I don’t remember you,” said Pansy sweetly.

Blake raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I’m a chaser on the Ravenclaw quidditch team. We almost won against you last year. You must remember me at least a bit from that.”

Pansy gave him a long, considering, once over, dragging her eyes up his body, then tutted. “Huh, still not ringing any bells. Must be because you didn’t beat us,” she said, smirking up at him. Theo glared out the compartment window but Harry wasn’t sure the boy was actually seeing the scenery flashing by.

Harry looked away from his friends and instead shifted his gaze to Draco who’s head rested gently on his shoulder. The other boy had fallen asleep almost as soon as they sat down. He sighed gently in his sleep and Harry smiled down at him softly.

“Well that’s unfortunate,” Blake said. “It feels weird to ask you on a date if you don't remember me at all. What do you think?”

For all our sakes, Pansy, Harry begged her in his head, please say it would be weird. Theo was staring daggers out the window and Harry worried he might shatter the glass.

Pansy shrugged, nonchalant. “Doesn’t seem weird to me. It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other.”

“Well, alright then,” Blake chuckled. “This weekend work for you?”

“Should be fine.”

Harry had a feeling then that this year was going to be quite the difficult one, Dark Lord rising to power aside.

-x-

“Did you ever tell your parents about us?” Harry said quietly, scared to break the spell over the slytherin common room. It was incredibly late, so late it was probably actually early, and every one but he and Draco were in their dorms. The fire crackled and Draco’s head rested on Harry’s chest. The light from the fire reflected orange light against the boy’s light blond hair. Harry couldn’t resist running his hands through it. Draco sighed in contentment.

“Yeah, over the summer. I meant to write to you. I just missed you so much and I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

“Whad’you mean?” Harry asked quietly, biting the shell of the other boy's ear.

Draco snorted and shoved his head away. “Mmmm I d’know. They weren’t surprised. Mother laughed and Father told me we weren’t very subtle.”

Harry scoffed, faking disdain, “We were too! What gave us away!”

“You apparently!” Harry tasered Draco’s side, making him jump. “Hey!”

“Wha’d’you mean?”

“Mother said you were always awfully affectionate s’all!” Draco smirked.

“Hmmph.”

Draco peered up at him and squished a cheek between two fingers. “You're such a baby.”

Harry gave him some side eye then asked, “Are you wearing my quidditch jersey?”

“Possible.”

Harry ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s silky soft hair. “You know I’m going to need it back for our game tomorrow.”

Draco wrinkled his nose. “But then it’ll be sweaty and gross.”

“Yes, well I’ll wash it.”

“Au moins tu as l’air bonne dedans, beau gosse.” (roughly translated : at least you look hot in it, hunk)

Harry scrunched his nose. “What now, why am I a goose?!”

Draco shook with laughter. Harry’s heart swelled at the sound, despite the insults being thrown his way. “No, not goose. Gosse,” Draco said, putting emphasis on the last word.

“I hate when you speak french. I never know what you’re saying,” grumbled Harry, though he didn’t mean it.

“You think it’s hoOoOOt,” Draco teased in a sing song voice that was entirely too cute.

“No, I do not. I think it sounds pretentious.”

“Mon amour. Ma chérie. T’es canon, toi,” (my love, my dear, you’re hot) Draco whispered sweetly.

“See, sometimes I try to translate what you’ve said with this old french dictionary from the library,” Harry confessed. “It’s got yellow pages that are falling out and nasty odd coloured stains from who knows what. One time I actually figured the sentence out, you’d said it to me in such a sweet voice, only to find out you'd told me my breath smelled bad in the morning.” Draco snickered, remembering the occasion. “Everyone’s breath smells bad in the morning!”

“J’ai envie de t’embrasser.” (I want to kiss you)

Harry grimaced and squeezed his arms tightly around Draco’s middle, making the squirmy boy wriggle. “See, it sounds really cute what you’re saying but for all I know you could be telling me I stink.”

“Je pense que je pourrais t'aimer.” (I think I might/could love you)

Harry didn’t want to but when Draco was putting on that voice and looking at him that way he couldn’t help but blush. “You’re ridiculous.”

Little did Harry know but the way he himself was looking made Draco’s insides liquify. It was evident, so crystal clear, much much they meant to one another.

“Merlin, tu pourrais être l'amour de ma vie,” Draco grumbled. “Même si ton souffle est vraiment horrible les matins.” (Merlin, you could be the love of my life. Even if your breath really is awful in the mornings)

“That was grumbly. No way was that a term of endearment!” Harry exclaimed, as always, completely oblivious.

-x-

Carved pumpkins with flickering candles within floated above the students as they walked through the halls. It was Halloween and Harry was really looking forward to the feast this evening. His thoughts of the food that would be served were interrupted.

“Who’s that tosser?” Theo muttered. Harry followed his line of sight and assumed he was glaring at the boy snogging Pansy.

“I think his name’s Jeoffrey.”

“Isn’t he in fifth year?”

“Maybe?” Harry wished Theo would just pull his shit together and ask Pansy out but then he thought that would be a bit hypocritical considering how long he’d gone without telling Draco how he felt. So he kept his mouth shut. He really didn’t have the time to be worrying about Pansy and Theo’s love lives. What he should have been thinking about was his appointment with Dumbledore that evening.

-x-

Christmas was a depressing affair that year. As the Malfoys were in hiding, going to the manor was off the table. They’d eventually all sat down and made the decision to stay at Hogwarts. The Castle was beautiful, gloriously decorated, everything glistened with magic. From the trees down every corridor. It was unfortunate that the castle's stunning appearance and jolly professors and peers all happy for the holidays didn’t translate to jovial moods from his friends.

They were all sitting in the empty common room, the rest of the Slytherins had gone home, when Pansy snapped, "Theodore, you shouldn't smoke that shit."

Theo turned to face her with a look darker than she’d ever seen on him before. “What’d’you care,” he snarled.

“What do you mean, what do I bloody care?!”

Harry swapped equally alarmed looks with Blaise and Draco from across the room.

“Merlin, get off my back! It’s not like you’re my fucking girlfriend!” Pansy’s hands curled into fists and her face flashed tomato red before her expression hardened. Theo paled, looking like he regretted the words the instant they’d left his mouth. But it was too late to take them back. “Pans, I’m sor-”

She grit her teeth. “You’re right,” she ground out. “I’m not.” With that she sat up, stiff as a rode, and stormed from the room.

The silence was thick.

“Shit,” Theo buried his face in his hands.

Harry shared a look with Blaise and Draco, silently communicating that they’d stay with Theo while he followed Pansy. Easier said than done. It took him half an hour to find the girl. He found her fuming on the winding steps leading up to a tower. Tears tracked down her cheeks.

“Wanna walk?” he asked. She nodded.

They wandered the castle together, not talking, for quite awhile. They passed paintings and crossed moving staircases, stood in front of stained glass windows and checked out knights and statues for any new hidden secret passageways. After the tears were gone from Pansy’s face and her brows weren’t furrowed, nor her lips pressed in a hard line Harry said, "How are things going with Aldrich?"

"We ended it,” She told him, face and voice both emotionless.

"Why, not good enough in bed?"

"Nah, he was fine,” She huffed. “Much better than Jeoffrey. He can't hold an intellectual conversation for shit though."

Harry raised a brow. "Since when was intellectual conversationalist a requirement for you?"

"Since I decided it was." She glared.

"Maybe your standards are too high?" he wondered.

"Harry, darling, a boy who is both smart and good in the sheets shouldn't be that hard to come by."

He chuckled. "That's all your asking for?"

Pansy pondered that question. "I mean-” Harry started cracking up. "No, shut up. He also has to be reasonably attractive and have respect for my opinions and values."

Harry nodded. "Fair enough. To be honest though I'm not sure you'll find that at Hogwarts."

"There's you,” she pointed out.

They laughed together. "I'm gay, or bi, I don't know. Either way I have my eyes set on someone else."

"Ah, yes. Draco. I know you're off the market. Pity. We could have such fun."

“We already went down that path,” he chuckled. "Is that still an offer?"

"Don't even tempt me, Potter. We both know that even if I was seriously serious you wouldn't take me up."

"Seriously serious?" He loved how easy the banter always was between them. He knew he’d have a friend in Pansy for a long long time.

"Shut up."

"You're right though." She hit him on the shoulder. He hesitated, then decided to just have it out with. “That was a cruddy think for Nott to say.”

“Yeah, well, Theodore says a lot of cruddy things.” Her footsteps picked up pace as she walked faster.

“Not to you.” She didn’t say anything to that. “He didn’t mean it.”

Pansy laughed coldly. “Yeah,” she nodded, glancing up at Harry. Her eyes were wet again. “He did.” She scoffed. “He’s right. I’m not his girlfriend.”

“You're still his friend. You care about him. You’re allowed to not want him to ruin his lungs.”

“He’s just so annoying!” Pansy exploded. “He’s been picking meaningless fights with me for months. We’ve always bickered but this has been different. So many snide side comments. He’s just so angry with me all the time!”

Harry bit his lip, debating whether or not it was his place to say anything. “He misses you.”

“That’s some bullshit! I’m right bloody here!”

“Pans, you have to know.”

“Know what?!” She demanded hotly, rounding on him.

“Theo likes you!”

Pansy’s face fell. “Well, fuck.”

“So, you knew then?” No answer. “You don’t like him back?”

She raised her face from the floor, eyes glistening. “No, I do, of course I do. It’s Theodore fucking Nott. How could I not like him back?!”

Harry was confused. “Then… What’s the problem? Kiss and make up. Easy peasy.”

“Oh, Harry, it’s not that simple. It might be alright for a little while, but what about when we break up? It’ll completely ruin the group of us. It’d be so terribly awkward!” She sobbed, tears falling.

“Draco and I worried about the same y’know?”

“Silly,” she hiccuped, half laughing half crying, “you and Draco are made of finer stuff.”

“I don’t know what that means, Pans.”

She sighed, in frustration, wiping away her tears. “Your relationship was inevitable. Your love is the kind written in the stars, Harry.”

“No pressure or anything,” he joked, Pansy rolled her eyes. “But in all seriousness,” Harry insisted, softening, “Draco and I are no different from you and Theo, Pans.”

She shook her head.

“You don’t have to believe me but it’s true. I know you hate being told what to do but Pans, for all of our sakes, please, I BEG you! Take that boy out of his misery and for Merlin’s sake! Tell him how you feel, truly.”

Pansy considered him. “We’ll see.”

-x-

There was no conversation about it but the next week Theodore Nott was bashfully walking Pansy Parkinson to her classes and carrying not only her books, but her hand in his.

“How come you never walk me to class?” Harry asked his boyfriend, faking a pout.

“Because your classes are on opposite ends of Hogwarts.”

“I don’t hear Theo making excuses.”

“Nott, is going to be late if he doesn’t sprint fucking run. McGonagall will give him detention for sure and Pansy won’t have a date this weekend to Hogsmeade. Do you want a date to Hogsmeade or do you want me to walk you to your classes?”

Harry elbowed Draco in the ribs. “Smartass.” The other boy smirked over at him. “Alright, I’ll see you at lunch, babe.”

“Erk!” Draco fake gagged and pulled a face. “Don’t babe me. Are you trying to make me puke?”

Draco slipped onto a staircase just as it detached and Harry blew a kiss and watched the other boy roll his eyes. A smile on his face. Harry fell back to walk with Blaise and watched Theo give Pansy a long languid kiss on the mouth in front of her class.

“Must they?” Blaise asked, deadpanned.

Harry threw his arm around his mate. “Indeed, Blaise, as the way of love commands.”

Theo pulled back and stared at Pansy, giving into one more kiss, before he booked it in the direction of his own class. Harry and Blaise laughed. Just then there was a commotion in front of them. Pansy’s ex, Aldrich, materialized out of the swarm of buzzing students. Pansy’s face soured the moment she saw him and Harry’s heart sunk. The look on Aldrich’s face was full of intention.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Parkinson?!” He snarled.

“It’s not like I broke your heart, Aldrich, move along,” Pansy said. Heads started to turn, students trying to see what the fuss was all about.

“You’re such a tease.”

“And you’re a bore.” There was a small crowd starting to gather and Harry’s gut started to roil. This was going to get really ugly really fast.

“I only got one fuck for that necklace I bought you! You’re the bore,” Aldrich snapped. And so did Harry, he surged forward but Blaise yanked him back by the collar of his shirt.

“You can’t buy me you nasty mother fucker! You don’t buy a girl some jewellery, or anything for that matter, and then expect her to kiss your ass.”

"You’re nothing but a sad pathetic little school girl looking for validation," he spat.

Pansy stepped up close to him. “Oh yeah? Does that get you going, Aldrich? Huh, you sick fuck?”

The boy's lip curled. “You’re such a slut!”

Harry surged forward and before Blaise could restrain him again he pounced on the other boy. It was mostly because Aldrich wasn't expecting it that Harry managed to get in a good blow. His knuckles throbbed and Harry swore loudly. However, this didn't hold him back from attempting to throw another punch at Aldrich when he came at him. But before he could the other boy slugged him in the stomach and the air was knocked out of Harry's lungs. As he stumbled back adrenaline started coursing through his veins and a steely calm settled over him. Harry straightened up and swung his fist at Aldrich. His fist slammed into the boy's face and he heard a satisfying crack.

The other boy staggered backward, a hand over his nose, blood seeped from between his fingers. When he took his hand away from his face Harry saw that his nose was crooked. The sight made up for the pain that was coming from his curled fist. Aldrich took a swing at him, Harry barely managed to duck away but landed to punch Aldrich in the gut. Aldrich doubled over and Harry brought his knee up, winding the other boy who staggered forward. When he turned around there was blood all down the front of his shirt, tie, and robes.

"Apologize to her," Harry demanded, stalking towards him.

By now there was a large crowd up students surrounding them, watching the scene play out from a safe distance. Aldrich’s face twisted and he spat at Harry's feet. The other boy reached for his pocket and it was only then, through his rage that Harry remembered his wand. As both of them drew their wands and were about to fire off spells a loud voice thundered, "EXPELLIARMUS!" Both Harry and Aldrich’s wands flew out of their hands.

Students stepped aside for a furious looking Professor McGonagall. "Why is it that you've both decided that it's acceptable to beat one another to death?!" She seethed.

"Aldrich called Pansy a slut, Professor!" Lavender Brown exclaimed, stepping forward from the crowd of gathered students at the scene.

McGonagall's eyes hardened further. "Hogwarts does not tolerate such filthy, derogatory language, nor does it condone violence. Both of you have detention with me from 7-9 every night for a month," she declared. Her tone made it clear that there was no room for negotiation. "Now go see Madame Pomfrey, Mister Aldrich."

Harry made to turn away. "You too, Mister Potter. That thumb of yours looks to me like it's broken.” Her voice softened, “And Miss Parkinson?” McGonagall hesitated. “Come with me"

Harry started to protest but then he looked down at his hand to see that, sure enough, his right thumb was swollen and bruised.

Begrudgingly he stormed off in the direction of the infirmary.

-x-

“Serves him right,” Pansy scoffed, “disgusting toad of a boy.” They were all gathered in the Slytherin boys dormitory, listening to Pansy tell them what had happened once she’d gone along with McGonagall to her office. ”I mean, sure, he’s not that bad looking, but Merlin, what a slimy git.”

“So that’s it? He’s going to Durmstrang?” Draco asked.

“I don’t think they’ll accept him,” Blaise said, refilling his scotch glass. “Apparently they’ve all got some thick sticks up their asses in Russia. They wouldn’t want word to get around that they take in boys like Aldrich when Hogwarts won’t let him stay. It would make them seem inferior.”

“Well, he has to go somewhere.” Draco frowned.

Harry stretched his legs out in front of him and twisted so that his back popped. He let out a sigh of satisfaction. “What do you care?”

Draco shrugged. “For the most part I don’t. But unchecked magic is dangerous.”

“If Durmstrang won’t accept him then some smaller school will,” Theo reassured.

Blaise nodded. “I’ll see if my Mother can look into it.”

They all sat in pensive silence, none of them wanting to voice the other possibility. The possibility that Voldemort might get to him. Harry couldn’t meet the eyes of his friends. His insides were churning as he thought about his meetings with Dumbledore. They’d started in the fall, few and far apart. However, as the year had progressed they’d become more constant. Excuses had been hard to find. There were only so many detentions from McGonagall he could pretend to get, only so many extra Quidditch meetings he could make up. The things they’d been talking about, he and the old school master haunted his waking thoughts. The dark past of Tom Riddle and his transition into the Dark Lord he was today. His mind was awake and spinning all the time now. Full with thoughts about Horcruxes. He would have to tell his friends eventually. He would have to go after them. He and Dumbledore. Wouldn’t they? The old man hadn’t actually told him his plan yet but something would have to be done, soon. Harry already missed this. Missed Hogwarts, missed his friends, missed this calm before the storm. It might have been an uneasy time but the storm hadn’t struck yet. Harry knew that when it did there would be no calm for a long time after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you guys doing? I hope you're all still staying connected to friends and family through facetime. I know it's really hard, it's weird not going to school and even weirder being cooped up inside with family for so long. We're all doing our best but it's okay if you're not your best most productive self every day<3


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